


The Raging Maelstrom

by Theodur



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Book of Fire without the Avatar, Crossroads of Destiny reversal, Dark Side Katara, F/F, F/M, katara heals zuko's scar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:35:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 45,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27526219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theodur/pseuds/Theodur
Summary: Katara used the Spirit Oasis water to heal Zuko’s scar before Iroh and Aang reached them in Crystal Catacombs, proving that sometimes compassion can lead to terrible consequences. This is the story of Katara’s quest for revenge, alongside an exiled Fire Nation prince and their friends… but how long will they be able to support Katara, as the path she chooses becomes increasingly dark?
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 61
Kudos: 126





	1. Crystal Catacombs

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like this story deserves a lengthier preface. I’ll start by stressing that Katara has always been my favorite ATLA character, but I became particularly captivated by her after the Southern Raiders episode. It revealed a side of Katara that I always felt was there, bottled up rage and thirst for vengeance. And while I was glad that she stayed her hand in that particular episode… ever since then, I have been haunted by the idea of what if she hadn’t. 
> 
> In the show, Katara is a constant source of support, optimism and compassion. When everyone around her loses hope, she is the last to hold on to it and encourage the others. But what if that hope were to be stripped away from her? Would that suppress her empathy and compassion, and allow her bottled rage and anger to emerge? It’s an uncomfortable question, and I’m sure many of you don’t even want to know. But to me, it’s also a fascinating question that I want to explore further. If you are interested in discovering the answer with me, please do stick around and I’ll try to make it worth your while. If you would rather read something fluffy and happy, I can recommend my other Zutara story, ‘Conflagration’.

There was something soothing and enchanting about the green glow permeating the cave riddled with giant crystals. Katara was in no mood to appreciate its beauty, however. She still felt angry at herself for having fallen right into the trap of Princess Azula and her lackeys, which had led to her capture. Now, all that was left to her was wandering the enormous crystal catacombs, searching for a way out, a task that was quickly proving futile. Her water flask had been confiscated by her captors, and there was no water at hand in this dry cave, leaving her completely helpless. All that was left to Katara was to wait for rescue to come.

Katara had already lost all sense of time while wandering the caverns, gradually losing hope of any rescue. Suddenly, she was alerted to a low, rumbling sound of shifting rock, somewhere nearby. She looked around, spotting nothing out of the ordinary, then glancing upwards and noticing a large opening in the cavern wall well above her. A figure appeared in the newly created opening and then was pushed through it, sending them tumbling down the steep slope, until they came to rest in a heap at Katara's feet.

She instantly recognized the new arrival. She had seen him just the day before, at the Jasmine Dragon, serving tea to the customers while wearing the same simple clothes he was wearing now. Katara remembered having been so shocked to see him in Ba Sing Se, that in her panic while running from one enemy, she had dashed straight into the waiting arms of another.

"Zuko?" Katara exclaimed in disbelief, staring at the Prince of the Fire Nation, dusting himself off at her feet. "Why did they throw you in here?" she demanded, immediately assuming the worst. When Zuko refused to answer, instead turning away from facing her, Katara felt her anger at him surge. "Oh wait, let me guess... it's a trap. So that when Aang finally shows up to help me, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches."

Zuko turned back briefly, merely glancing at her before turning away again without saying a word. He was clearly too dejected to argue, but Katara did not care, too caught up in her own angry rant. "You're a terrible person, you know that? Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world's last hope for peace!" her voice rose almost to the level of shouting, before it descended into bitterness. "But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war, violence and hatred is in your blood."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Zuko finally snapped, having had enough.

"I don't?" Katara shouted. "How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through! Me, personally..." her voice cracked and knees buckled as the anger bled away just as quickly as it had surged, replaced by still raw grief and sorrow. "The Fire Nation took my mother away from me..." Katara sobbed as her fingers touched her mother's necklace, hating to appear vulnerable in front of her foe, but unable to get a grip on her emotions.

Zuko turned around to gaze upon her, his face softening as he watched her kneel, unable to stop crying. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, rising up to his feet. "That's something we have in common." Katara's sobbing stopped immediately as she reared her head and quickly wiped her tear-stained cheeks.

She rose up to her feet and hesitantly approached him, the anger within her having faded for good. "I'm sorry I yelled at you," she spoke quietly.

"It doesn't matter," Zuko managed in a broken voice.

"It's just that... for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face," Katara admitted with sadness in her voice.

"My face," Zuko intoned, his fingers instantly reaching up to touch the scar, the mark of his greatest shame. "I see..."

"No... no, that's not what I meant," Katara spoke quickly, taking a few more steps towards him.

"It's okay," Zuko replied. "I used to think the scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately... I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny. Even if I'll never be free of my mark."

Katara stood, pondering his words for a moment, feeling touched that he had shared something that felt so deeply personal. A spontaneous thought popped into her mind. "Maybe you could be free of it," she said.

"What?" Zuko asked, his voice full of surprise and hope as he looked at her.

"I have healing abilities," Katara began to explain.

"It's a scar. It can't be healed," Zuko's voice dropped to dejected again.

Katara reached within her tunic and retrieved the phial that had remained hidden from her captors. "This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole," she spoke. "It has special properties... so, I've been saving it for something important. I don't know if it would work, but..." She reached out towards him.

For a moment, Zuko considered pulling away, but then he closed his eyes and remained still. As her fingers brushed against his scar, he felt a powerful surge of conflicting emotions coursing through him. He had never allowed anyone to touch his scar, and yet this waterbender... his enemy... she offered to take his mark of shame away even after he had treated her so terribly?

Katara coaxed the clear, slightly glowing liquid from the phial, watching as it coalesced, shaping a perfectly round sphere, ready to be guided by her bending. She directed it towards Zuko's scarred cheek, watching it come in contact with his skin, then starting to weave her hands in the familiar healing pattern. Much to her amazement, the scar quickly began to fade, a sight so wondrous that it almost made Katara lose focus. Still, she persisted, continuing her healing until the Spirit Oasis water dissipated, leaving Zuko's cheek completely unmarred, free of any signs that a scar had ever been there.

"Amazing..." she whispered, bringing up her hand and touching Zuko's cheek as if unable to believe what she had done.

"Is it... is it gone?" Zuko asked, his voice hoarse. He raised his hand to touch his cheek, forgetting that Katara's hand was still there, and so he ended up placing his hand over hers. Katara was so entranced that she didn't mind, never pulling away. "You... you have removed the mark of my shame..." Zuko managed, a single tear falling down his cheek. "You have freed me from my father's poisonous influence…"

"Does that mean you will stop trying to capture Aang?" Katara whispered. "Does that mean you will help us from now on?"

"I consider myself honor bound to-..." Zuko's words were absorbed by a massive crash resounding through the entire cavern, filling it with dust. As soon as the dust had settled, Zuko and Katara noticed two very familiar figures emerging from a newly blasted hole in the cavern wall, Aang and Uncle Iroh. Only then, Katara became aware that her hand was still pressed against Zuko's healed cheek and she quickly removed it, but the stunned look on Aang's face suggested that it hadn't escaped his notice.

"Zuko! Your face!" Iroh was the first to notice the very obvious change in his nephew's appearance. "What happened?"

"She healed my scar," Zuko swallowed, a little uncomfortably, as he nodded at Katara. "With the water from Spirit Oasis."

"You used it on him?" Aang asked in bewilderment as he stared at Katara. "Why?"

"I... I don't know, but it seemed important that I do so," Katara hesitated, unable to logically explain her decision. "I... felt that Zuko could help us, despite everything that has happened. You need a firebending teacher, and..."

"I don't need him!" Aang snapped angrily, still bristling at Zuko.

"This is no time to argue about it, Aang," Katara tried to soothe his anger. "We need to work together to escape this place and reunite with our friends!"

"The young lady is correct," Iroh added his voice in support, trying to establish some common ground. "Azula and the Dai Li will be upon us soon, we need to-..."

Another loud crash followed, filling the crystal cavern with dust, followed by more and more sounds of the rock shifting. By the time the dust cleared, the small group of four found itself completely surrounded by at least a few dozen of the grim-faced Dai Li agents, led by the smirking and confident looking Princess Azula.

"Well, well... what do we have here," Azula chuckled, but then her eyes widened slightly as she noticed the change in Zuko. "Zuzu, your scar..."

"I have broken the hold my father had over me, Azula," Zuko replied, assuming his firebending stance. "And you should follow my example and do the same, sister." 

"I would have expected this sort of treachery and cooperation with the enemy from uncle, but not from you, Zuko," Azula frowned at him. "But despite the evidence, I refuse to believe that you're a traitor. Are you?"

"Don't listen to her, Zuko," Katara called out to him. "She's trying to confuse you!"

"Why don't you keep your filthy mouth shut, water peasant, and let Zuko answer for himself," Azula snapped, staring intently at her brother. "Zuko, despite of everything that has happened, you can still enjoy redemption at my side. I need you, Zuko. Join with me, and at the end of this day, you will have your honor back."

"I already have my honor back, Azula," Zuko pointed at his unmarred cheek.

"At my side, you will have more than that," Azula smiled at him. "You will have everything you desire, including our father's love. It is what you desire the most, isn't it?"

"Zuko, please..." Katara begged. "You promised..."

Zuko was torn. Azula was right. The one thing he wanted the most was his father's love and approval. And yet... as he glanced back at the distraught looking waterbender, he hesitated yet again. She had bestowed upon him the purest and most selfless act of kindness without asking for anything in return, upon someone who had brought her nothing but pain and suffering. He had lost his honor when he had refused to face his father in Agni Kai. But if he were to betray such a selfless act of kindness... it would be an even greater stain upon his honor. Zuko felt that it would leave an unredeemable stain on his very soul.

"I will not be swayed, Azula," he finally made his decision. "And you should turn away from this path, too."

"We both know that's not going to happen," Azula snapped angrily as lightning crackled at her fingertips, bouncing towards the surrounded group of four, Aang erecting a barrier of rocks to absorb it at the very last moment.

The battle was joined and the small group of four immediately found themselves on the defensive. In practical terms, they were a group of three, as Katara had no access to even a slightest drop of water, which rendered her completely ineffective and having to cover behind the backs of others, dodging the attacks of Azula and the Dai Li.

Ever so slowly, Azula and her lackeys began to press their advantage. Where one of the Dai Li agents was taken out of the battle, two more took his place. Throughout it all, Azula was clearly holding back, only occasionally tossing her deadly lightning at the group, waiting for her opponents to be sufficiently worn out before she went for the throat. And that moment was inevitably approaching, Aang, Iroh and Zuko were all bruised, battered and panting, facing a ruthless siege from the attackers, the Dai Li never giving them a moment to breathe.

"I want to try something!" Aang exclaimed with desperation in his voice. "Can you two buy me some time?" he called out to Zuko and Iroh.

"We'll do our best, Avatar," Iroh managed, the old man looking to be on his last legs.

"What are you doing, Aang?" Katara asked, distressed and frustrated by her inability to help the others.

"Something that Guru Pathik tried to teach me," Aang replied quickly. He then quickly shaped a formation of the green crystals, trapping himself in a safe, protected cocoon.

"What is he doing?" Zuko called out in disbelief, just barely dodging the blue flames of Azula's jabs in time.

"I think he's going to enter the Avatar state," Katara shouted in reply, Zuko and Iroh resuming their desperate defense with increasing vigor at her words, having to place their trust into the Avatar's plan.

As the crystal formation holding Aang suddenly began to glow with intense brightness, everyone on the battlefield froze, unsure of what was happening. The crystal formation shattered with such force that many of the Dai Li agents were thrown against the walls of the cave and never got back up. A pillar of bright light shot upwards to the cavern ceiling as Aang emerged anew, floating up the pillar of light, his eyes and his tattoos glowing brightly with the unleashed energy of the Avatar State. Everyone stood like frozen, too captivated or frightened by the sight of Avatar unleashed.

Everyone but Azula.

An intense surge of lighting jumped from her outstretched fingers and traveled straight towards the Avatar as he was still floating up the pillar of light. The lightning strike made a direct hit to Aang's chest. His flight broken, Aang began to fall, his ruined clothes smoldering and his body twitching from having been electrocuted. If not for Iroh catching him and breaking his fall, Aang would have crashed right on top of the razor-sharp crystal shards of the protective dome he had created earlier.

"Zuko!" Iroh called out urgently, having noticed that many of the Dai Li were out of the fight, and the others appeared stunned from what had just happened. "Zuko, take the Avatar and the girl, and flee! You need to get out of here!" he shouted, nodding at the tunnel through which he and Aang had arrived.

"What about you, uncle?" Zuko asked frantically as Iroh placed the unconscious boy into his arms.

"Don't worry about me, Zuko!" Iroh shouted at him. "I'll buy you time to escape! Now go! The fate of the world rests with this boy! You need to save him!" he turned to Katara, the waterbender having gone utterly numb from shock. "Go! Go with Zuko!"

Katara snapped back to reality at Iroh's shouting, jumping to her feet and dashing after Zuko, the firebender already having made good progress towards their escape route. Some of the Dai Li were moving to intercept them, but Iroh's lightning blasts quickly discouraged them from trying. Curiously, Azula chose not to interfere in their attempts to escape, observing the events with an amused and curious look in her eyes.

Zuko and Katara ran into the tunnel, never stopping as they continued to climb towards the surface, time and again checking back to see if they were being followed. Sounds of battle still raged from below as Iroh continued to fight, and it seemed that Azula was happy to let them escape, content with toying with Iroh before his inevitable capture, while undoubtedly delighting in the knowledge that she had struck a devastating blow against the Avatar.

"How is he?" Katara dared to ask only when they finally felt safe to stop running, maintaining a brisk walk up the tunnel.

"Unconscious, but breathing," Zuko replied, electing not to say more. He knew perfectly well what the usual outcome of a direct blast of lightning was, but he couldn't bring himself to tell that to Katara, not now when they were still in great danger. He could not allow her to collapse on him now.

"We need to get him to safety and then I can try to heal him," Katara said, trying to sound hopeful. 

"Where is safety in Ba Sing Se, now?" Zuko wondered.

"We need to get out of the city," Katara replied. "Somehow," she added. They walked in silence for a while, as the exit to the surface appeared within their view. "Can you still carry him?" Katara asked, sounding concerned.

"Don't worry about it," Zuko replied. "He barely weighs anything."

"I have an idea," Katara said, coming closer to Zuko and reaching into Aang's clothes to search for something, retrieving a small white item. She placed it against her lips and blew on it. "Bison whistle. If Appa is nearby he'll hear it and come to us."

"Good thinking," Zuko nodded as they crossed the final stretch to the surface in silence. They emerged close to the wall of the Royal Palace, under a dark and starry sky, breathing a nervous sigh of relief when noticing that Appa had arrived and landed already, waiting for them nearby. The great beast let out a mournful wail as he noticed his injured master being carried in the arms of the Fire Nation Prince.

"Katara? What's going on?" the waterbender instantly recognized her brother's voice, Sokka shouting at them from up on Appa's back. Much to her relief, he wasn't alone, Toph was also present and safe, along with the Earth King and his pet bear. "What happened to Aang?" Sokka's question took on a panicked tone as he spotted Aang's unconscious frame in the arms of their recent enemy. "Why is Zuko here and why is he carrying Aang?" Sokka shouted.

"I'll explain everything, but we need to get away from here and fast!" Katara exclaimed as Zuko passed the unconscious Aang over to Sokka, then helped her climb atop of the sky bison, and finally climbing up himself. "Sokka, take the reins! Now!" she ordered, Sokka obeying instantly. Following a nervous yip-yip, Appa took to the skies, trying to put distance between them and Ba Sing Se.

"Katara?" Toph asked. The young earthbender's voice was uncharacteristically anxious. "What happened to Twinkletoes? I... I can barely feel his heartbeat..."

"He was struck by Azula's lightning," Katara ground out, making her way up Appa's back to where Sokka and Zuko had laid Aang to rest peacefully. "While he was in Avatar state," she added, shuddering at the deafening silence that followed her words.

"You... you can heal him, right?" Sokka was the first to speak up.

"I don't know... but I'm going to try," Katara replied. Looking at the wounds that Aang had sustained, she felt unspeakable dread mounting within her. Azula's lightning had penetrated straight through his chest, leaving terrifying entry and exit wounds, the skin surrounding them charred and blackened. With growing sense of desperation gnawing at her, Katara settled down next to Aang as comfortably as she could, preparing to heal him.

"You can use that Spirit Oasis water to bring him back, right?" Sokka called out to her. "Thank the spirits we still have that!"

Katara felt a powerful shudder run through her at Sokka's words. Zuko buried his head in his hands. "I don't have it anymore, Sokka," Katara managed to get the words out.

"What do you mean?" Sokka cried. "What happened to it?"

"I said I don't have it anymore!" Katara shouted angrily. "Now shut up already!"

"Just let her work, please," Zuko told Sokka quietly.

"I don't have to listen to you," Sokka scowled at him. "You shouldn't even be here!"

"That's enough, Sokka," Toph added her voice to the argument, effectively silencing Sokka, as Katara finally bent to her task, channeling as much of her healing into Aang's badly battered frame as she could.

For the longest while, there was no reaction, Aang remained still and unconscious. Katara was close to dissolving into tears and abandoning her efforts, when finally, Aang stirred and with a weary sigh, opened his eyes.

"Aang..." Katara whispered. "Please don't try to move, you're still badly hurt. Can you speak?"

"K-Katara," Aang managed, straining with effort. "It h-hurts s-so much..."

"Oh, Aang..." tears began to stream down Katara's cheeks. "Just hold on, Aang. I've done what I can for now, but we'll find another healer, and then with our powers combined, we'll be able to heal you properly..." she said, but they all could tell that she was simply desperate to deny the inevitable.

"Katara... we both know... that's not happening..." Aang managed, his voice barely a whisper.

"Aang, please... you have to hold on!" Katara begged tearfully. "The world needs you! **I** need you!"

"Katara... do you remember the Cave of Two Lovers?" Aang asked quietly.

"Aang... please don't speak, save your strength," Katara pleaded desperately.

"Remember how I said I didn't want to kiss you?" Aang whispered. "You know what? I lied..." he said, a powerful shudder rocking his frame as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

And then he was gone.


	2. Lashing Out

Traveling to the Eastern Air Temple to lay Aang's body to rest next to his kin had been a joint decision between Sokka, Katara and Toph. Nobody had asked for Zuko's opinion, nor did he expect them to. He could not consider himself as a part of the group. He wasn't sure if there even was a group now that the Avatar was gone.

There was just four of them now. Kuei had abandoned them at the first campsite after escaping from Ba Sing Se. Instead of proving himself as an inspirational figurehead that the remaining Earth Kingdom forces could rally behind in forming a resistance, he had chosen to instead travel the land incognito on the back of a bear while wearing a Fire Nation peasant disguise.

None of them knew how to conduct funeral rites, especially not according to the Air Nation traditions... traditions that were now doomed to crumble and fade from the annals of history. The best they could do was to find a suitable place in the bowels of the ancient temple. Toph did her best in shaping the stone into a beautifully ornamented tomb in which they had laid Aang's body to rest, together with what little possessions the Avatar had kept, including his glider. Sokka removed one of his daggers and placed it in the stone coffin. Katara sliced off a lock of her hair and placed it across Aang's open palm. Afterwards, Toph sealed the Avatar's final resting place with a heavy stone lid, and since then they had been standing there, lost at what to do next.

"Maybe we all should say something," Sokka suggested in a downcast voice. "I'll start." He cleared his throat, swallowing heavily. "Aang. Buddy... this wasn't how it was supposed to end. We didn't always see eye to eye, sometimes butted heads... but at the end of the day, you would always have my back, and I'd have yours. That's what mattered..." his voice cracked as he went on. "You were my best friend, Aang... rest in peace, buddy..."

"Twinkletoes... I still can't believe you're gone," Toph took over from Sokka. "I'm going to miss you, and I'm going to miss our training. I've never enjoyed tormenting someone as much as I enjoyed tormenting you... and I think, deep down, you enjoyed it too. You knew I was doing it because I liked you, didn't you... of course you did," she began to sniffle mightily. "I'm going to miss you, Aang."

"We all loved you in our own way, Aang," Katara began to speak, struggling to keep her voice even. "I admired your idealism, the strength of your beliefs and convictions. You would never choose the easy path over the right one. The world is diminished by your passing. I will never forget you... I will treasure the memory of you until the end of my days. We have all lost a treasured and beloved friend, but the world... the world has lost its hope..." she fell silent at that.

For a moment, Zuko wondered whether it was an invitation for him to speak. "I didn't know Aang that well-..." he began, but was instantly cut off.

"You didn't know him at all!" Katara turned on him with fiery rage in her eyes. "Don't even think to sully Aang's memory with your words!" Zuko instantly closed his mouth and took a few steps behind as a furious looking Katara barged right past him and left the chamber.

"Whoa... that was..." Sokka blinked, both him and Toph looking uncomfortable at Katara's outburst.

"She's right," Zuko shrugged. "I didn't know Aang the way you did. To think that my grief would compare to yours would be beyond disrespectful. I should have realized that."

"Still... she was a bit too harsh if you ask me," Sokka shrugged. "Anyway, so... what now?"

The question seemed to hang in the air as nobody quite knew how to answer. And what could they do, really? They were just a bunch of kids, lost without guidance, grief-stricken and with all the plans that hinged on the Avatar's presence, rendered useless. They were in no condition to go on, at least not yet. Most of them were yet to accept what had truly happened.

While on their journey to the Eastern Air Temple, Sokka would often speak out to address Aang, forgetting that he was gone. Katara was caught between two extreme moods, either weeping inconsolably for hours, or flying into angry rages during which she would snap at anyone she laid her eyes on. Toph barely spoke the entire journey, most of the time sitting by herself and hugging her knees tightly against her chest. And Zuko... Zuko wondered what his fate would be. He had chosen to help a doomed cause, but he could not say that he regretted his decision. He bore responsibility for what had happened, and so he made a promise to himself to remain with the others until they demanded that he left. 

"What can we possibly do?" Toph shrugged, kicking a stray pebble. "I guess I'll go back home. Time to learn how to be a good Fire Nation citizen now that they're about to conquer everything. Got any tips, prince?"

"You can't mean that, Toph!" Sokka gasped. "I know things look grim without Aang, but we can't just give up!"

"Sure we can," Toph snapped. "This was probably a stupid idea to begin with. This is what happens when kids try to fight in a war. I didn't even want to be his earthbending teacher... I didn't want to..." she broke down in sobs.

"Oh, Toph," Sokka sighed, running up to her and throwing his arms around the much smaller girl. "I know... we're all hurting..."

Zuko looked away, feeling uncomfortable at the raw grief on display. While he also found the thought of Avatar's death shocking, he knew his feelings could not compare to theirs. There were only a few people in his life he would grieve for this much, he could only think of his uncle and his mother... and he had already buried one of them in his heart.

He stepped outside the chamber that served as Aang's tomb, giving Sokka and Toph time to recompose themselves. As he waited, Zuko suddenly became aware of screams echoing through the ancient halls from somewhere further ahead. "I'll go look for Katara," he said aloud so that the others could hear him. "If we're to discuss the future, she needs to be present."

"It's your life to risk, Zuko," Sokka called out after him as Zuko began to walk away.

"My life's pretty cheap these days," Zuko muttered darkly as he picked his way through the dilapidated temple halls, Katara's screams of grief and rage making it easy to track her down. By the time he had caught up to her, Katara had worn herself out and had gone into the opposite mood swing, kneeling next to a crumbling fountain and bawling her eyes out. Zuko decided that it would be unwise to interrupt her and simply stood a fair distance away, waiting for her to stop crying and notice him.

When Katara finally did spot Zuko, she simply glared at him, but said nothing. Zuko decided that now was as good a time as any to speak up. "You should rejoin the others, Katara," he said quietly. "We're thinking about what to do next."

" **We**? There is no **we** that would include you!" she immediately went into rage yet again. "You shouldn't even be here with us! We shouldn't have had to come here!" Katara jumped up to her feet and began to approach him, pointing an accusing finger. "You know this all happened because of you, don't you?"

"I know I'm responsible, yes," Zuko swallowed heavily. Katara looked so furious that he could well imagine her attacking him, but fortunately the fountain had run dry a long time ago and there was no water for her to use. But even if she had attacked, Zuko wasn't certain that he would try to defend himself.

"I wish I had never thought about healing your stupid scar," Katara snarled in his face. "In fact... I wish Aang was here with me, alive and well, while you rotted in that tomb below!"

"I... understand," Zuko managed. He truly did understand. She loved Aang, and she had spent so many months learning to hate him. What else did he expect her to say?

Still... her words hurt immensely, of course they did. He struggled not to show it, averting his face and lowering his gaze, but he could not stop a few tears escaping his eyes. The sight of it seemed to immediately deflate Katara's anger, making her realize just what she had said.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "That was cruel of me. Too cruel. I should never had said it."

"Even if you meant it?" Zuko asked softly.

"But I don't mean it, not like that," she shook her head defiantly. "I was being unfair. You are not to blame for what happened with Aang."

"But you blame yourself," Zuko said. "That's why you are lashing out."

"I... I suppose I am," Katara admitted. "I am furious with myself. I thought I was doing something good, but instead... I robbed the world of its only hope. Don't you understand? The Fire Nation will conquer the whole world and it's all because of me!"

"I think you're too hard on yourself, Katara," Zuko tried to argue. "I'm also responsible. If I hadn't been there, you would not have had the thought to heal my scar. And I was only there because like an idiot I allowed Azula to capture me."

"It's... nice of you to try and make me feel better, but don't bother, Zuko," Katara replied in a dejected voice. "I know perfectly well what to blame. My stupid naivety and misguided compassion. Well, that's going to change from now on, Zuko. My heart will be as hard and unmoving as a crystal of solid ice."

"So you're going to continue the fight?" Zuko asked.

"Of course," Katara nodded, clenching her fists. "I will not rest until Fire Lord Ozai and Princess Azula are utterly destroyed. I owe it to Aang... and to myself, and the entire world."

"I would help you if would allow me," Zuko said hopefully. "But my primary goal is to rescue my uncle. Azula would have brought him to the Fire Nation capital."

Katara nodded curtly. "If you wish to help, I will not stand in your way."

"Katara, I know what I'm about to say will not be much of a consolation, but try to think of it this way," Zuko spoke. "If you were to send me away, then your decision to heal my scar would bring only loss. But if I were to stay with you, then at least you would have gained an ally... a poor replacement for the Avatar, I know..."

"Very poor. And it's a very small consolation indeed," Katara frowned, but then her expression softened and she allowed herself the tiniest of smiles. "But... it is something." She was about to say more, but at that moment, Sokka and Toph came up to them.

"Good, you're not shouting anymore, that's a good sign," Sokka sighed, looking at his sister with concern. "Toph and I had a good heart to heart, and we both think that we should move ahead with the original invasion plan."

"Invasion plan?" Zuko's eyebrows rose.

"Yes, we're planning to infiltrate-..." Katara began, only to find herself cut off by Sokka.

"Wait, wait, are you really sure we can just tell him all about the plan?" Sokka pointed at Zuko. "I'm still not sure about this. What if he runs to tell the Fire Lord all about it at the first opportunity?"

"Sokka, I've told you before, I haven't sensed any deception from Zuko ever since he joined us," Toph sighed.

"Listen to Toph and me, Sokka," Katara spoke sternly. "Zuko will remain loyal." She turned towards Zuko again. "Our initial invasion plan involved infiltrating the Fire Nation capital during an upcoming solar eclipse. It would have given us a small time frame during which the Fire Nation would be greatly weakened and we planned to use it to defeat the Fire Lord."

"That's... actually a brilliant plan," Zuko admitted, feeling impressed.

"Why thank you," Sokka gave an exaggerated bow. "Of course, the initial plan relied on having the Earth Kingdom armies with us. Not to mention Aang..."

"I understand," Zuko nodded. "But perhaps I can be of use. I may not be the Avatar, but I have insider knowledge of the Fire Nation. I know the royal palace inside out, and I know all of my father's secret hideouts. That should prove useful, right?"

"Hmm, you know what... I think you might have just proven your worth, Zuko," Sokka nodded excitedly, reaching out to take Zuko's hand and shake it. "Welcome to the team. Officially."

"If you are quite done," Katara sighed.

"Not yet, because I just got an idea where we need to start to get our invasion plan back on track," Sokka announced proudly.

"Oh? Do tell," Katara asked, hands on her hips.

"Father and the Water Tribe warriors are currently in the Chameleon Bay," Sokka explained. "With Ba Sing Se lost, they have no reason to remain there, so... I think we can convince them to join our invasion. Besides... it will be nice to spend more time with dad. I think we both need that right now, sis," Sokka gave her a meaningful stare.

"Speak for yourself," Katara shrugged. "I've learned to cope just fine without our father ever since he abandoned us."

"He didn't abandon-..." Sokka exclaimed, but then just shook his head in resignation and walked away. "Forget it, I'm not having this argument right now. I'll be with Appa when you're all ready to leave." He turned to Zuko and gave him a humorless smile. "Yeah, welcome to Team Dysfunctional, buddy. A real barrel of laughs."

"He's probably right about us needing the Water Tribe warriors, Sweetness," Toph said. "We have an invasion to plan, right? Surely you can set your little family drama aside for that."

"Of course, I can," Katara replied through gritted teeth. "I don't have to like it, though." Together with Toph she began to walk after Sokka, then stopping to give Zuko an impatient stare. "Are you coming? Or are you waiting for the royal invitation?" she snapped.

"I'm coming," Zuko nodded, moving to follow them, sighing inwardly as he wondered just what he had signed up for. With so much grief and unresolved tension surrounding the group, it was difficult to have any hope for the future.


	3. Chameleon Bay

"I've been wondering," Sokka spoke as the group of four rode on Appa's back across the pristine blue waters, the crescent shaped Chameleon Bay directly ahead of them, the last known location of the Water Tribe warriors. "With his master gone... will Appa continue to obey us?" he finished, affectionately patting the thick fur of the loyal sky bison.

"Let's hope so, for we'd be lost without him," Katara replied, staring straight ahead with a tense look on her face. The closer the reunion with their father loomed, the more anxious she seemed to become.

"He probably relies on us just as much as we rely on him," Toph said. "I mean, Momo hasn't abandoned us. He just picked himself a new master, probably someone he felt closest to," she chuckled at the sighing Sokka. The winged lemur was sitting on his shoulder, trying his best to reshape Sokka's ear.

"I think I can see some ships over there, to our left," Zuko pointed in the distance. It felt odd no longer having to squint, after Katara's healing had also improved the sight in his singed eye. "They don't look like Fire Nation ships."

"No, those are Water Tribe ships! Dad is still here!" Sokka cried excitedly, directing Appa's flight towards the cluster of ships in the distance.

The morale among the group was still lower than low, but at least it was starting to improve ever so gradually. They still traded jabs and barbs, but they felt less hurtful and more teasing and supportive. Sokka and Toph were slowly getting used to Zuko being with them, but Katara was still very difficult to converse with for them all. At times, talking to her felt like navigating a mine field, one misstep and she was liable to blow up in the offender's face. Her anger at herself was showing no signs of abating.

With nary a cloud in the clear skies, their arrival was spotted well in advance by the Water Tribe scouts. By the time they landed, everyone had gathered on the shore to welcome them, Chieftain Hakoda at the head of the group, flanked by Bato and his other veterans. "Sokka, my son!" Hakoda swiftly walked up to them and embraced his eldest. "I was so worried about you after we heard of the fall of Ba Sing Se! And Katara..." he finally noticed his daughter, dismounting from the sky bison.

"Hello, father," Katara spoke stiffly. The stare she sent her father's way was challenging, but it didn't stop him from approaching to embrace her. Half heartedly, she returned the embrace, looking relieved when he finally broke the contact.

"There's so much we need to discuss, dad!" Sokka exclaimed impatiently.

"In due time, son," Hakoda nodded. "You need to introduce us to the rest of your friends. And I don't see the Avatar with you? Last time he didn't stop to exchange even a word and I was hoping we could meet."

"You missed your chance, father," Katara said, bitterness dripping from her words. "The Avatar is no more. Aang... he didn't survive our encounter with Princess Azula and the Dai Li."

"No... this can't be!" Hakoda exclaimed in shock. The whole Water Tribe campsite suddenly became eerily silent as all the warriors just simply stood there with frightened, hopeless looks on their faces. "The Avatar... is gone? Does that mean there is no hope for this world?"

"We don't think so," Sokka shook his head resolutely. "But that's what we," he pointed at Katara, Zuko and Toph, "need to speak to you about, because we have a plan. Also, the introductions... that's Toph, she's a master earthbender," he pointed at the youngest member of their group. "And the surly guy at the back is Zuko. He's actually Fire Nation, but Katara thinks we should give him a chance."

At those words, the congregation of Water Tribe warriors was suddenly abuzz once again, some of them crying out angry slurs directed at Zuko, some making pointed suggestions indicating the sharp blade of their sword, and the motion of slitting someone's throat.

"Zuko is our ally, and everyone who has a problem with him, will have a problem with me!" Katara called out angrily. "I will vouch for his loyalty! Will that be good enough for you?" she looked around the campsite with fierce glare in her eyes, some of the Water Tribe warriors actually taking a step back.

"The word of my daughter will be considered good enough for as long as I still am your Chieftain!" Hakoda added his weight behind Katara's words, earning himself a nod of appreciation from her. "Welcome, Toph and Zuko, you will be treated among the Water Tribe as friends and allies."

"Thank you, Chieftain Hakoda," Zuko replied with the formal Fire Nation bow of greeting.

"Yes, yes, thanks for the welcome, can we get down to the business now?" Toph yawned, looking impatient.

"You mentioned a plan, Sokka?" Hakoda looked at his son.

"Not just any plan, dad! What we have for you is an amazing plan!" Sokka proudly puffed out his chest. "Let's step into the command tent and I'll explain everything."

Less than half an hour later, following Sokka's nervous explanation of his idea and Katara's filling in the gaps, Chieftain Hakoda and his most trusted veterans all but one looked highly impressed with the plan, nodding their heads in agreement. "It will be highly dangerous, Sokka," Hakoda remarked thoughtfully. "I have no doubt that many of us will not return from this engagement. But still, I can't deny that this is our best bet at breaking the Fire Nation's stranglehold on this world. When will we get another opportunity like this? No, we have to take it." His veterans gave raucous cheer of support and approval at that.

"We were hoping to have Aang and the armies of the Earth Kingdom with us, but there's no hope of that anymore," Sokka sighed.

"We have time still, the eclipse won't be here for a good while," Toph shrugged. "Maybe we can pick up some other allies."

"Way ahead of you, Toph," Sokka grinned, pulling out a lengthy list of names. "Though... I guess I can cross the Kyoshi Warriors off the list," he added with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Sokka," Katara said. "But I fear that Suki and her friends are most likely imprisoned in Ba Sing Se."

"They might have already been moved back to the Fire Nation," Zuko suggested.

"That's even worse!" Sokka exclaimed, looking deeply distraught.

"Yes, but now we all have a personal stake to see this invasion succeed," Katara pointed out. "You want to rescue Suki, Zuko wants to save his uncle, and I want to avenge Aang."

"And I'm tagging along just to crack some Fire Nation skulls," Toph chuckled.

"Anyway, what else do you have on your list, Sokka?" Katara asked.

"I have plenty," Sokka replied proudly. "You'll love this one in particular. I'm going to write to your old flame, Haru, and get his people onboard."

"Don't be childish, Sokka, Haru is not and never was more than just a friend," Katara scowled. For some reason, she was looking directly at Zuko. "He's simply trying to get a rise out of me, as always." Zuko nodded back at her, his eyebrow rising slightly with curiosity.

"Whatever, Katara, I think you protest too much," Sokka stuck out tongue at his sister before getting back to his list. "Anyway, I have more, so much more. The remaining Freedom Fighters. The mechanist from the Northern Air Temple... and oh boy, do I have some suggestions for him! And finally, I have the waterbenders from the swamp and the earthbenders from Gaoling."

"You mean those useless louts I humiliated during the Earth Rumble?" Toph laughed. "Sure, why not. Let them be useful for a change."

"I'm going to write down the messages," Sokka said, looking determined. "The question remains how to deliver them. We have some time before the eclipse, but not enough to deliver them all by ourselves."

"We have contacts among friendly locals, Sokka," Bato spoke up. "We could ask them to pass on these messages. And if we set up a point of rendezvous, it should be easy to pick up all of our allies as we make our way towards the Fire Nation."

"That's a great idea! Thanks, Bato," Sokka nodded.

"There might be one problem with our plan, Sokka," Hakoda spoke up thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Ever since Ba Sing Se fell, we have noticed an increasing traffic of Fire Nation ships sailing through the waterways that form the shortest route through the Earth Kingdom. There is no way we could sail up to the Fire Nation with our ships without encountering heavy resistance. And our ships just don't stand up to the firepower of the Fire Nation warships."

Everyone fell silent after Hakoda's words, pondering how to deal with this problem. After a while, it was Zuko who spoke up. "I have a suggestion, if you are willing to listen," he said politely.

"Speak, Zuko," Katara nodded at him encouragingly. "Like my father told you, you are among friends and allies."

"Thanks, Katara," he nodded back at her. "I was thinking... if we can't use Water Tribe ships, maybe we should use a Fire Nation ship. We could pounce on an isolated Fire Nation warship in a night raid and overpower its crew. It would make for the perfect disguise to travel in."

"Hmm... not bad, young man," Bato conceded. "It would still be risky. We could get our cover blown very easily upon closer inspection."

"I think I could help with that," Zuko replied. "I may have spent the past three years in exile, but I still know the structure of the Fire Nation military. I should be able to bluff us past any inspection."

"We would be putting an awful lot of trust into a Fire Nation exile," Hakoda frowned, not looking particularly excited about the plan. "But I guess it is our best shot. Bato, go prepare a raiding party. Tell them to be ready for a night raid if an opportunity to seize a ship presents itself."

"Understood, Chieftain," Bato nodded, leaving the command tent together with the other veterans.

"I think we are done here?" Katara asked, sounding a little impatient.

"Well... I need to start writing those letters," Sokka said.

"I think we are done for now, yes," Hakoda admitted. Upon seeing that Katara was about to turn and leave he spoke up quickly. "Could I have a moment with my children in private?"

"Of course, Chieftain Hakoda," Zuko nodded politely, gently tugging on Toph's shoulder. "Come on, let's give them a moment." The young earthbender shrugged, but followed the Fire Nation exile.

"I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you both again, safe and sound," Hakoda exclaimed, sounding greatly relieved. "And yet... I feel great resentment within you, Katara. And I think I understand why... and I'm sorry, daughter. Know that I love you more than anything. You and your brother are my entire world."

"I know... and I understand why you had to leave, father," Katara replied, not resisting when he moved to embrace her again, but her return of the hug was very half-hearted. "But you left us when I was still grieving for my mother. Well, I suppose you taught me that I can survive without needing to rely on you being there for me. And I'm glad we found you alive and well, after all these years, but... it doesn't change the fact that you weren't there for us when we needed you the most. I know you had your reasons, and I respect them, but I can't help being angry all the same."

"Katara, give him a break!" Sokka looked furious. "You think you're the only one who's sacrificed? Dad has sacrificed plenty himself!"

"I don't doubt that, but he didn't have to clean up all your messes over the past five years," Katara snapped at her brother. "He didn't have to cook for you! He didn't have to wash and mend your clothes! He didn't have to spend countless hours on daily chores, while his son ran around the village playing out the fantasy of being some great protector!"

Sokka looked speechless for a moment, and even Hakoda flinched at his daughter's accusing words. "Katara, you are being very harsh to your brother," he tried to appeal for peace. "I know I placed you in a very difficult situation, but please, try to understand-..."

"I understand just fine," Katara ground out. "Nothing is gained by talking about it. I'll just leave you now so that Sokka can write his letters. Come the evening, I will take Appa out further into the bay to look for stray Fire Nation ships."

"I... very well, Katara," Hakoda was forced to relent, while Sokka still fumed silently, glaring at his sister. "Thank you," he added as she turned around and walked out of the command tent.

Once outside, Katara ignored Zuko and Toph standing by the entrance of the tent, walking right past them and not stopping until she reached the edge of the water, standing there with arms crossed on her chest, staring at the horizon and letting the waves wash up close to lick the tips of her boots. Zuko and Toph appeared uncertain whether to dare approach her, but just standing there by the tent uselessly and being subjected to the stares of the Water Tribe warriors made Zuko feel uncomfortable, so he made the decision to risk joining a clearly upset Katara, dragging a slightly reluctant Toph with him.

For a long while, they both just stood near Katara, letting her calm down a little before speaking up and risking setting her off once again. Eventually, Zuko couldn't stand the deafening silence any longer. "Sorry," he spoke quietly. "Things got a little loud in there and we couldn't help overhearing."

"It's alright," Katara shrugged. "But I'm not sure I want to talk about it. Right now, I'm more mad at Sokka and the way he worships father despite... well, despite everything. It's no wonder, I guess," she added bitterly. "It's not like Sokka was burdened by his absence. Gran-Gran and I both pampered him and allowed him to play the big village hero. Ugh, his blind spots can be so annoying."

"Yeah, I think all of us here definitely have daddy issues," Toph chuckled. "And I still think your dad is the best from our lot, Katara. I wanted nothing more from my parents other than them allowing me to just become my own person instead of trying to shape me into something I could never be. I'd happily trade places with you any day of the week, Sugar Queen."

"My father challenged me to an Agni Kai, and then left a permanent scar on my face when I refused to fight him as a thirteen year old boy," Zuko blurted out without thinking.

"Shit... are you for real, Zuko?" Toph gasped. Considering how hard it was to rattle someone like Toph, it was a particularly strong reaction. "Damn, that's horrible."

"That's... monstrous," Katara gave Zuko a look of earnest sympathy, sounding horrified. "I'm sorry... that makes the issues with my father look rather ridiculous, doesn't it?"

"I didn't mean to diminish your feelings, Katara," Zuko apologized quickly. "I knew that what my father did to me was monstrous, and yet for the longest time I still sought his forgiveness and acceptance. The relationships we have with our parents are... complicated, I know that much."

"You said it, Zuko," Toph chuckled. "We're all complete disasters, aren't we?"

"I suppose that's true, Toph," Katara managed a faint smile. "And I love my father, I really do. I just... can't stop being so angry and frustrated about it all. Especially now, after Aang..." she almost broke down into sobs, but managed to hold off the emotional outburst. "I'm fuller with anger than ever before, and I just want to lash out at someone. Unfortunately... while we've been stuck on Appa's back for days, you've been the targets of my rage, and you don't deserve that at all."

"Well, you just need some proper targets then, Sweetness," Toph grinned. "Wait... I'm not sure Sweetness is appropriate anymore. I'll have to think of something else."

"Raiding that Fire Nation warship should present good opportunities to let off some steam," Zuko suggested.

"Oh yes..." Katara replied dreamily. "I can't wait to take Appa out once it gets dark," she added, the smile on her lips turning almost predatory.

With some surprise, Zuko realized that he found it particularly fascinating.


	4. Water Tribe Pirates

An opportunity to seize a Fire Nation warship did not present itself until three days later. Long past midnight, Appa was following their isolated target at a safe distance, carrying Zuko, Katara and Toph on his back. Two Water Tribe ships were waiting in ambush near the mouth of the channel as it opened into Chameleon Bay, manned by elite warriors of the Southern Water Tribe, led by Hakoda and his son.

Sokka had decided against accompanying the three benders. He still hadn't made up with his sister, and the pair were at each other's throats constantly. If it wasn't arguing about their father, then the still raw grief over Aang's passing made them lash out, and they both seemed to have picked their sibling as their preferred target. Even Toph had become frustrated with them both and had resorted to shouting, but it hadn't produced any results. Zuko simply felt discouraged from seeing the Water Tribe siblings fight. He knew they needed them to work together as a team if this invasion plan of theirs had any chance of succeeding.

"Do you recognize the type of ship, Zuko?" Katara asked, looking down at the vessel they were pursuing. In the pale moonlight, Zuko noticed the expression on her face, lips tightly knit, intense focus in her eyes.

"Looks like a standard Fire Nation cruiser," Zuko shrugged. "Can be used to transport either cargo or troops. It would be better for us if it was cargo."

"How many Fire Nation goons usually are on a cruiser?" Toph asked.

"Depends," Zuko replied. "Could be more than a hundred if it's carrying troops. Around thirty if it's a cargo ship."

Toph let out a sharp whistle. "That's a big difference."

"Yes, it's why I said I hope it's carrying cargo," Zuko nodded at the young earthbender.

"It's not going to make any difference," Katara stated. There was a determined steeliness to her voice. "Unless you have reservations about fighting your own people, Zuko."

"They're not my people anymore," Zuko shrugged. "I don't really have people I could call my own. Once Azula brings word about my treachery to my father, these men will be given orders to kill me on sight." It wasn't as simple as he made it sound, of course. He still had conflicting emotions about facing soldiers in Fire Nation uniform, knowing that most of them were simply obeying orders. But this was not the time to waver. The Avatar's friends were the only ones who offered him solace, and for that, he would fight on their side with no questions asked.

"That's pretty depressing, Sparky," Toph remarked.

"It is, but let's focus on our task now, we are nearing the ambush point," Katara spoke with urgency in her voice. "And remember, you two... we want that ship intact, so careful with your bending. Don't set it on fire or metalbend it all out of shape."

"You've told us that like ten dozen times already, mom," Toph sighed. "We know, we know..."

"I might as well stick to these," Zuko sighed, readying his twin swords. He had borrowed them from the Water Tribe supply stockpile and then spent a good portion of the past three days practicing and trying to get used to weapons that didn't feel quite as natural to him as his old dao swords. 

"Your firebending isn't that weak at night, Zuko," Katara remarked curiously. "In fact, I remember it was still quite powerful."

"Thank you," Zuko smiled at her. "But I believe a combination of firebending and swordsmanship will do the trick today."

"Alright then, I'm going to take Appa in," Katara said, directing the loyal sky bison to start slowly approaching the Fire Nation cruiser. The Water Tribe ships were on their intercept course when Katara felt she was close enough to launch into her waterbending. With the power of the moon augmenting her bending, she had no difficulty in controlling large volumes of water, starting to freeze it all around the cruiser and causing the ship to slow down to a crawl. Stalagmites of ice rose and created a stair-like formation to make it easy for the approaching Water Tribe warriors to board the ship.

Alarms were being sounded on the cruiser, and the crew was quickly waking up to the fact that they were under attack. A pair of soldiers were surprised by Appa as they sky bison landed on the deck and caught them with an impressive tail swipe, throwing them overboard. A group of soldiers tried to rush them while they were dismounting, but Katara was quick to react, scattering their charge with a shower of ice shards that left two of the soldiers bleeding out on the deck.

As soon as Zuko's feet hit the deck, he drew his swords and used his firebending to surround himself with a shield of flames that reached out to also envelop the blades. One of the soldiers backing away from Katara got too close to Zuko's flaming swords and went down with a wet gurgle, sporting a nasty gash across his back.

Toph was looking around for something suitable that she could work with, the young earthbender taking her time to take stock of the situation. A broad grin spread across her lips as she felt a large pile of heavy blocks of coal stacked next to the ship's trebuchets, their intended ammunition. Soon enough, heavy chunks of coal were being flung all across the deck, expertly taking out one Fire Nation soldier after another.

It didn't take long for the deck to be cleared of all opposition. Zuko had cut down the few foolish enough to get in his way, also carefully using his firebending in tandem with Katara's waterbending, setting some of the soldiers aflame, only for Katara to smash them with whips of water, extinguishing the flames, and sometimes also the lives of said unfortunate soldiers. 

Katara was truly a force to be reckoned with. The moon loomed bright up in the sky and she was at the height of her power. Water whips and ice lances made short work of enemy soldiers, and her protective barrier of ice deflected any attacks by their opponents. Together with Toph, they had taken care of the enemy firebenders as soon as they have emerged on the deck, and by the time the Water Tribe warriors arrived, the trickle of reinforcements from the hold had slowed.

"Secure the deck," Chieftain Hakoda told them as he led a group of his warriors including Sokka towards the entrance into the hold. "We'll clear out the rest of them, you've done enough already," he added. While Zuko felt slight relief at not having to fight any more Fire Nation soldiers, it looked as if both Toph and Katara felt somewhat disappointed about being ordered to stand down.

"Bah, I was having fun!" Toph exclaimed, angrily tossing aside a large chunk of coal. "I thought there would be more of them!" she complained.

"Seems like it was a cargo ship, after all," Zuko remarked.

"It doesn't matter, Toph, the important thing is that the ship will be ours in a moment," Katara said, sounding satisfied. "That is all what matters." She walked up to the railing and began to dissolve the heavy blocks of ice that had rendered the cruiser immobile. As a result, some of the Fire Nation soldiers who had been thrown overboard, now ended up in a desperate swim to reach the shore, fighting for their lives.

Zuko was busy observing the damage done to the deck, nodding in satisfaction as it appeared very light, when Hakoda and Sokka emerged from the hold, their swords coated with blood. The Water Tribe chieftain looked around the deck, taking in the view of the carnage, shaking his head with disgust. "I hate this war... no children should experience or partake in such brutality," he stated angrily, looking directly at his daughter. "This is why I never wanted to bring you and Sokka along with me."

"I understand, father, but we're older now," Katara shrugged. "We'll be fine, you don't have to worry. This won't break us."

"Maybe, but it's still not right," Hakoda sighed.

"Father, Aang was only twelve," Katara spoke with grim resolve in her eyes. "The Fire Nation made sure that he will never grow up to fully experience life. The Fire Nation killed our mother! And they took you from us, too! So forgive me if I don't feel remorse for any of these men!" Katara exclaimed, pointing at one of the dead Fire Nation soldiers, ice shard having sliced his throat open before a heavy chunk of coal had caved in his skull.

"I just wanted to protect you from it all, Katara," Hakoda spoke tenderly. "But... I see that I have failed in that. In my absence, this war has already shaped both you and Sokka."

"We'll do what needs to be done to end this war, father," Sokka nodded in grim understanding with his sister. "With Aang gone... all of us will have to do so much more to stop the Fire Lord. There's no way around that. We'll have to grow up fast."

"Too fast," Hakoda shook his head, his eyes lingering on Toph in particular, but he elected to remain silent. "Very well. Bato!" he called out to his second in command. "Clear the ship of all the bodies and then see what you can do to clean it up a bit. Let's spare the kids from this grim task at least..."

The group of four gathered at the bow of the ship, waiting for the men of the Water Tribes to quickly clear the ship from the bodies of the Fire Nation soldiers, but not before stripping them of their belongings. Their armor would make for convincing disguises should they cross paths with any other Fire Nation ship, of which there was a high likelihood.

"How did it go down in the hold?" Zuko asked Sokka as they stood there, shivering in the chilly breeze of the night.

"They weren't ready for us, so... we pretty much overran them," Sokka replied with a frown. "This is... so different than when traveling with Aang. We tried to accomplish our goals without engaging the enemy, and only fought to defend ourselves or others. But now, we're actually going on the attack. That means fighting and killing enemy soldiers. I mean, I knew it would be like that when I put that invasion plan together, but still, to actually see your sword dripping with someone else's blood..." he shuddered.

"But you still didn't hesitate to do what was necessary, Sokka. I'm proud of you," Katara smiled at her brother.

"Thanks, sis," Sokka smiled back at her, looking relieved not to be fighting with her again. "Although you three certainly did the armadillo lion's share of work."

"Pfft, this was easy," Toph scowled. "Something tells me it's not going to be such a walkover when we attack the Fire Nation capital."

"I'm afraid not, Toph," Zuko smiled grimly, watching Chieftain Hakoda walking up to them, carrying bundles of Fire Nation clothing and distributing them among the group.

"These should fit you, Sokka, and you as well, Zuko," Hakoda said. "But they're much too large for Katara and Toph. I don't think we'll find anything in your size, though."

"I can fix this as long as I can find some thread and needle," Katara shrugged, taking Toph's bundle from the young earthbender's hands.

"It would be a wasted time and effort, Katara," Zuko spoke up, immediately facing inquiring stares.

"Why do you say that?" Katara asked.

"Because there's no point in you and Toph wearing Fire Nation disguises," Zuko replied. "There's no credible way to explain your presence on a Fire Nation cruiser. You're far too young to pass as soldiers."

"I'll be fifteen in a couple of weeks!" Katara bristled.

"It doesn't matter, women are a rarity in the Fire Nation navy, and unheard of under the age of at least twenty-one," Zuko explained. "There's only one way how to explain your presence here in case we are boarded."

"And that way is?" Chieftain Hakoda asked.

"You must have seen a brig down in the hold, yes?" Zuko asked him. Hakoda nodded curtly. "We'll have to lock up both Katara and Toph in the brig. Since you're both benders, that will mean chains and everything. I'm sorry, but that's how it has to be. We can bluff our way past any inspection by pretending that we're bringing the Avatar's friends back to the Fire Lord as prisoners."

"No way I'm letting myself be locked up! I've had enough of that experience back in Ba Sing Se!" Toph exclaimed angrily.

"Wait, Toph... we need to be reasonable about this," Katara appealed to the younger girl. "I think what Zuko says makes a lot of sense. What do you think, father?"

"Hmm... yes, I'm afraid I have to agree," Hakoda nodded eventually. "Perhaps we won't have to resort to this deception, but you two should be ready to act quickly."

"Bah," Toph scowled. "I think Sparky just likes the idea of tying up pretty girls like us, Katara."

Zuko found himself looking at Katara and blushing lightly. "That has... nothing to do with what I suggested," he stumbled through the denial.

"Toph is just messing with you, don't worry," Katara smiled at him, also looking a little flushed. "It's a good idea, Zuko."

"I'm glad everyone is in agreement for once," Hakoda rubbed his hands, then slapping his son on the shoulder. "Sokka, I've made a slight change to our plans that I want you to know about."

"Oh? What change?" Sokka immediately looked worried. 

"I'm going to send a part of our forces on the Water Tribe ships to both North and South Pole, while we're crossing the Earth Kingdom on this cruiser," Hakoda explained. "If the winds are favorable, our warriors should be able to visit the poles, recruit more reinforcements, and link back up with us just in time for the invasion."

"Reinforcements! Yes! You had me at 'reinforcements', dad!" Sokka cheered, looking delighted as he did a little jig. "I love it... maybe, just maybe things are starting to look up." He suddenly remembered something and froze in his tracks, his face falling. "I just wish Aang was here to see it..."

"I know, Sokka," Katara sighed, placing a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder. "What I wouldn't do to have him back, but..."

"I can only imagine the pain you must be going through, caused by this great loss," Hakoda said, pulling his children into an embrace, which Katara for once did not resist. "You have gone through too much already, my children. I wish you wouldn't have to face what is coming."

"But we will, even though there are no guarantees of success," Katara spoke solemnly. "You know the defenses of the Fire Nation, Zuko. How would you rate our chances?"

"If everything were to align perfectly then I would say we have a slim chance of being successful," Zuko replied, not mincing any words.

"Thank you for being honest, Zuko," Katara spoke earnestly. "I think it is better for us to accept reality. Many of us will not be coming back."

"That's dark, sis," Sokka tried to chuckle, but it felt very forced and awkward. "You used to be the one who gave us hope to stand up against insurmountable odds."

"Well, you know what happened," Katara said, turning away from everyone. "My own hopes died in Ba Sing Se."


	5. Diverging Paths

Two weeks passed, with the Water Tribe captured Fire Nation cruiser slowly making its way through the Earth Kingdom territory. They had navigated the Serpent's Pass four days ago, and were now crossing the large body of water towards the Great Divide. Sokka's dispatched messages to call in Earth Kingdom reinforcements were starting to bear fruit as two of the Freedom Fighters, Pipsqueak and the Duke, had linked up with them at the Serpent's Pass, and hopefully the others were on their way as well.

The small group of four quickly fell into familiar patterns of ship life. Toph was the one most disgruntled, gradually becoming more and more short tempered as the journey wore on. She simply disliked not having solid ground under her bare feet, with time starting to feel increasingly disoriented and nauseous. Katara's anger seemed to have subsided a little, though it was still burning hot under the surface, she simply seemed to have more control over it. Overall, she appeared melancholy throughout the journey, spending most of her time alone, reminiscing about Aang and trying to deal with his passing.

Sokka spent most of his time perfecting his invasion plan, expanding it to include the tiniest detail and trying to create contingency for every possible mishap. The rest of the time he spent with his father, either in conversation or sparring with Hakoda and the other Water Tribe warriors. Zuko would occasionally join in, still feeling like he was far from mastering his current choice of weapons, hoping to pick up proper dao swords he was used to once they were in Fire Nation territory. He tried to spend as much time with Katara, Toph and Sokka as they would allow, eager to forge closer ties with them all, but it was still a work in progress, especially with Katara. It was difficult to build any sort of relationship when he knew that deep down Katara wished she hadn't bothered to heal him, and would trade him for Aang in a heartbeat if only given the chance. He was the cheap Avatar replacement, and nothing he did would ever change that.

So far throughout the journey the Fire Nation ships heading towards Ba Sing Se had ignored them, but their good fortune ran out on the fifth day after crossing the Serpent's Pass. A cruiser identical to theirs, pulled up next to them, its commander indicating his wish to come onboard. With Katara and Toph gagged and chained down in the brig, Zuko stepped forth to assume the role of commander as he greeted his counterpart and welcomed the grim faced man together with his entourage aboard of their hijacked ship.

"Commander," the intruding officer spoke, giving Zuko a scrutinizing stare, likely wondering about his young age, but the exiled prince remained resolute. "Why are you off course? All Western Fleet ships are supposed to be moving towards Ba Sing Se to support the occupation."

"We are returning from Ba Sing Se on a secret mission on behalf of the Fire Lord," Zuko replied confidently.

"Really? I have not heard about any secret missions," the enemy commander frowned.

"It wouldn't be much of a _secret_ mission if everyone had heard of it, commander," Zuko replied simply. "This is coming from the very top."

"Indulge a fellow officer, won't you?" the enemy commander gave him a sly grin. "I'll be wondering for weeks what the Fire Lord is up to now!"

"If you must know, we are transporting a pair of particularly valuable prisoners back to the Fire Nation capital," Zuko explained, hoping it would help him get rid of the enemy commander quicker. "These two were friends of the deceased Avatar."

"So the rumors are true and the Avatar **is** dead!" the enemy commander exclaimed joyfully. "Glory to the Fire Lord and Princess Azula! Hmm... I don't suppose I could see these prisoners? They must be formidable indeed!"

Zuko groaned inwardly. This wasn't going as smoothly as he had hoped. "Very well, come this way," he gestured for the other man to follow. "Please, I would ask you to leave your guards behind," Zuko insisted when they had moved to follow their commander.

"Very well, men, wait for me here," the commander ordered, following Zuko into the hold and quickly making his way to the brig, entering it together with Zuko. "But... these are just two little girls?" the man wondered, looking shocked. "What would Ozai want with them?"

"Don't let their appearance deceive you, commander," Zuko shook his head. "Both of them are very powerful benders. We are taking all precautions with these two."

"I suppose so, though I'm still wondering if Ozai has something else in mind for them, but no... they're too young for that," the enemy commander mused thoughtfully, then reaching out to cup Katara's cheek, ignoring her muffled protestations. "Though this one is very easy on the eye, and..." he added, running his hand over Katara's body before Zuko could do anything to stop him. "Yes, this one is probably ready to..."

"Excuse me! Commander, please, I insist that you do not repeat that!" Zuko exclaimed, feeling his cheeks growing hot and blood pumping ferociously in his temples from a powerful surge of anger. "I would hate having to mention something like that in my report to the Fire Lord!"

"Surely there's no harm in a bit of fun with your prisoners," the commander tried, but the look on Zuko's face quickly discouraged him from any further attempts to mess with the bound Katara. "Oh, well... I suppose it's time for me to get back to my ship, isn't it?" he suddenly appeared to be in haste, Zuko relieved to escort him back to the deck and then watch their ship disappear into the distance.

As soon as the Fire Nation cruiser was out of sight, Zuko rushed back to the brig, hastily freeing Katara from her chains and the gag. "Spirits, Katara, I'm so sorry," he managed while she was massaging her sore wrists, trying to restore normal blood flow.

"Are they gone?" Katara asked, looking all composed again. Zuko gave her a brief nod. "Well, then it was worth it, right?"

"I should have prevented that bastard from pawing at you like that," Zuko exclaimed angrily.

"I..." Katara looked a little taken aback by his ferocity, blushing slightly. "It's alright, Zuko, really, it is. No harm done. Besides..." she added with a smile. "You better free Toph, she's starting to become impatient." Indeed, the young earthbender was muttering angrily around her gag, incensed that Zuko was wasting his time apologizing to Katara before freeing her.

"Oh... ugh, I'm an idiot," Zuko slapped his forehead before quickly freeing Toph from her restraints. "Toph, I'm so sorry. Forgive me, please?"

"Yeah, whatever," Toph shrugged. "Well, at least nothing has changed in one regard, you're all over our Sugar Queen just as Twinkletoes was," she added before walking away and leaving two slightly confused young people behind.

"What's she talking about?" Katara shrugged.

"I've no idea," Zuko replied with a shrug of his own. He did not want to waste time pondering on why Toph was being all weird, there was something else on his mind already. He couldn't allow this sort of thing to happen again, and it lined up with another idea that had been brewing in his mind for a while now. "Katara, there's something I need to talk to your father about, and I think you, Toph and Sokka should be there as well. Could you please fetch Toph for me?"

"Hmm... certainly," Katara gave him a perplexed stare before quickly setting off to chase down Toph. 

Entering Hakoda's cabin, Zuko found Sokka already present as he had expected, with Katara and Toph arriving hot on his heels. "Well done, Zuko!" Hakoda exclaimed, giving him an appreciative clap on the shoulder. "It worked just like you had planned!"

Zuko frowned, still feeling awful about what had happened down in the brig. "It was closer than I thought it would be," he replied. "I think we need a different plan."

"What are you thinking, Zuko?" Hakoda looked surprised.

"I think it would be wiser for us to split up," Zuko stated. "The four of us should travel apart from the rest of the invasion force," he pointed at Katara, Toph and Sokka.

"That seems... unnecessarily dangerous?" Hakoda frowned. "Surely it would be safer for us all to stick together?"

"I'm all for Zuko's plan, I don't even care about his reasons!" Toph exclaimed loudly. "I'm so sick of this stupid ship!"

"Thank you, Toph," Zuko smiled at the younger girl. "I was thinking that the four of us could travel and explore the Fire Nation territories on Appa's back, being very careful, of course. We should make good on the fact that nobody will recognize me without my scar. I should be able to collect a lot of helpful information that could help the invasion. We might even come across someone who is not sympathetic to the Fire Lord's rule... such people do exist, and they could make good allies."

"Those are... not bad reasons, Zuko," Hakoda was forced to admit. "But perhaps it would be safer for you to go alone? It doesn't seem like you need the others."

"I'm definitely going with Zuko, no way you're keeping me behind on this ship," Toph decided in a heartbeat.

"Hmm..." Katara appeared thoughtful. "I like Zuko's idea. Also, I think I should go because Appa might not listening to him or Toph. Appa probably feels the closest to me and Sokka."

"Thank you for the support, Katara," Zuko smiled her. "And Toph, of course," he added hastily.

"Dad, unless I go with them, they'll just completely lose the track of time and their location, and they will never make it to the invasion rendezvous spot," Sokka sighed despondently. "Alright, I'll tag along and make sure you don't get into any trouble," he grinned at Zuko.

"Thanks, Sokka, I knew I could count on you," Zuko nodded appreciatively at the other boy.

"There's just one problem, Zuko," Hakoda spoke up. "How do we bluff our way past Fire Nation inspections now that our prisoners will be gone?"

"I've thought of another convincing tale, Chieftain Hakoda," Zuko said confidently. "Toph, do you think you could create some serious dents in the ship's carcass? Without creating a leak and sinking it, I mean."

"Easier than easy, Sparky," Toph grinned. "Don't forget that you're talking to the first metalbending master extraordinaire."

"Hmm, I think I see what you're going for, Zuko," Hakoda smiled in understanding. "We should be able to convincingly claim that we are heading back to the Fire Nation capital for repairs. Very well, I agree to your plan, young man. You have proven to be a dependable ally thus far, and I have no reason to doubt your sincerity."

"Yeah, Zuko's been a great team player, and I can hardly believe I'm saying that," Sokka said, Toph emphatically nodded in agreement. Zuko couldn't help but glance at Katara, wondering about her reaction.

"Sokka's right," Katara gave him a small smile. "Zuko, you've been very helpful." Zuko couldn't help but wonder if her regret about healing him was starting to diminish, but decided that it was probably too much to hope for.

"Thank you," Zuko managed, sensing a strange surge of emotions that felt almost alien to him, the feeling of being accepted. "Shall we get ready for departure? And Toph, would you like me to accompany you on your metalbending task?"

"Sure, Sparky, you can tag along and be impressed by my awesome skills," Toph chuckled.

"You are pretty impressive, Toph," Zuko couldn't help but laugh, preparing to leave the cabin with the others.

"We'll see you in roughly three months, dad," Sokka spoke, together with Katara both embracing their father. "Don't forget the rendezvous spot! That small island near the Black Cliffs, straight east from the Great Gates of Azulon!"

"Don't worry, we'll be there, Sokka," Hakoda replied confidently. "You will have your invasion force ready and on time."

* * *

Fire Princess Azula found herself in the rare and unusual position of receiving nothing but praise as she bent her knee before her father, Fire Lord Ozai looming above her on his throne, approval on his otherwise hardened face as he looked down on his daughter.

"For capturing Ba Sing Se and for destroying the Avatar, you have fully earned your triumphal reception, my daughter," Ozai spoke imperiously. "Today, you have fully proved that you, and you alone, are worthy of being my heir."

"Thank you, father," Azula smiled as she bowed her head, feeling overjoyed from her father's approval.

"Your triumph would have been complete if you had succeeded in bringing Zuko back to us," Ozai continued, but he didn't sound too upset. "But I am glad that you have finally revealed his treacherous nature for all of us to see. I will make sure to administer the proper punishment for his transgressions against the Fire Nation."

"Does that mean you're sending me out again, this time to hunt down Zuko?" Azula asked eagerly. She could not wait to engage in the game of cat and mouse with her brother again, the chase was her favorite pastime.

"No, for all your exploits, you have earned some respite, daughter," Ozai's answer surprised Azula. "I want you to take your friends and spend some time relaxing on Ember Island. You have more than earned a vacation. I have someone else in mind to eliminate my failure of a son."

"But father!" Azula protested. "Nobody knows Zuzu better than I do! I would be the best choice to track him down, surely you must see that?"

"Are you questioning my decision, Azula?" Ozai glowered at her from the throne.

"N-no, of course not," Azula uttered quickly.

"I thought so," Ozai nodded. "You have nothing to worry about, Azula. Thanks to you, we know that Zuko is currently traveling with the Avatar's friends on the back of a sky bison. They will be easy to locate for the man I have in mind for this task. As for you, I don't want to see you back in the capital until I have sent for you, am I understood? I want you on Ember Island, having fun, and that's an order!"

"Yes, father," Azula nodded stiffly as she was dismissed, getting up to leave.

Before exiting the throne room, she cast one last lingering look back at her father, sitting on the throne and appearing thoughtful. At first, she couldn't understand why her father was sending her away, but now Azula was starting to wonder whether he was becoming jealous and feeling threatened by her meteoric rise and astounding success in Ba Sing Se.

As Azula left the throne room, a self-satisfied smirk graced her lips. Maybe her father was right to feel threatened by her.


	6. Behind Enemy Lines

It took Appa four days of hard flying to finally bring the small group of four into the Fire Nation territory. The outer archipelago consisted of mostly tiny volcanic islands, many of them completely barren, such as the Crescent Island, their first stop on their journey inside enemy territory. As they continued to travel following the trail of islands dotting out towards northwest, they soon reached the first larger island with a notable settlement. In the cover of the night, they had found a shoreline cave, large enough to comfortably hide Appa, deciding to use it as their base for at least their first immediate task, to secure clothing that would allow them to mingle with Fire Nation citizens without invoking immediate suspicion.

Come the morning of the following day, Zuko was to head out into the settlement to procure clothes for them all, with the cover story that their boat had capsized during a storm, and they had lost all their belongings. It had taken him a couple of hours to explore the town which had experienced some recent expansion, and to pick out all the clothes they needed. With their disguises secured, they would be able to shortly visit the town together and buy more supplies, particularly stockpiles of food.

Having returned to the cave, Zuko wasted no time in distributing the bundles of clothing he had purchased, the two girls retreating to a remote corner of the cave to change while Zuko and Sokka remained where they were, quickly slipping into their new and comfortable brightly red Fire Nation robes, Zuko then giving Sokka a hair band with the Fire Nation symbol and helping him shape his hair into the traditional Fire Nation top knot. 

"Not bad, Sokka, not bad," Zuko nodded approvingly, observing the outcome. "Looking sharp there, my friend."

"I've got to say, Zuko, this Fire Nation fashion ain't all bad," Sokka grinned in reply.

"Yes, we're great at conquering other nations and making fashion statements," Zuko rolled his eyes.

"Hah!" Sokka chortled. "Anyway... you're really sure that we'll be okay like this, and also using our real names?"

"Absolutely, I checked with the townspeople, none of them knew even the Avatar's name, much less yours. They just vaguely knew something about the Avatar having some friends, but nothing beyond that," Zuko explained. "And yes, you'll be fine with these disguises. Like I told you all before, you can pass as Fire Nation colonials just fine. People of Water Tribe descent might be rare in the Fire Nation, but we still get some of them. Almost hundred years of mostly forced assimilation will see to that," he added uncomfortably.

"Great," Sokka sighed. "Well, I guess that makes sense. I'm just glad I can act normally without anyone giving me weird looks."

"People always give you weird looks everywhere you go, Sokka, that shouldn't be a new experience for you," Toph's voice startled them as the young earthbender appeared in their view. She looked rather fetching in her Fire Nation outfit, a simple dark red tunic with a bright scarlet sash wrapped around her waist, and similarly bright red boots. All in all, Toph looked cute as a button, but obviously, Sokka and Zuko both valued their lives too much to tell her that.

"I had something else for you, Toph," Zuko remembered, reaching into his backpack and retrieving a traditional Fire Nation headband, painted gold and with fake red jewels, passing it over to Toph.

"Aww, you're giving me jewelry, Sparky? What's a girl to think?" Toph laughed, but despite making fun of the gift, she still appeared a little touched by the gesture as she fixed it into her hair. "Oh, and a perfect fit, too," she grinned.

"I'm glad you like it, Toph," Zuko smiled at her. "Only the best for our favorite earthbender."

"Thanks, but I'm afraid I'll have to ruin these cute boots you got for me, Sparky," Toph said, plopping cross-legged on the cavern floor, taking her boots right off and starting to remove their soles. "I don't think you want me wandering around the Fire Nation completely blind, do you?"

"Just go ahead and ruin the shoes, Toph, I'm sure Zuko doesn't mind," Sokka chuckled. Before Zuko could add anything, they all heard Katara's voice reaching them from the back of the cave.

"Oh, right... I completely forgot," Toph snapped her fingers. "Sugar Queen wants a word with you, Zuko. Be careful, I don't think she's in the making out mood."

"Umm, I see," Zuko managed nervously, briskly walking up to where Katara was waiting, following her voice. The cave narrowed as he walked, making a sharp turn, and as he rounded the corner, Zuko came upon Katara, standing in a small grotto, light shining on her from a wide opening in the cavern's ceiling. Zuko found his breath caught in his chest as he took in the stunning view of her, starting with the delicate red sandals, the matching flowing red skirt, the skimpy red satin top that left her midriff and left shoulder tantalizingly bare, the ensemble topped off by her new hairstyle, a traditional top knot combined with a pair of heavy braids, letting the rest of her hair flow loose around her shoulders.

"Zuko, I demand an explanation," Katara glared at him, angrily tapping her foot. "You got a perfectly modest tunic for Toph. But for me, you bought... this?" she pointed at her clothing. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that you would look very pretty while wearing it," Zuko decided to shock her with the blatant truth. "And you do look pretty."

Katara looked completely stunned by his brazen reply. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. She closed her mouth as her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. "That's, uh... that's not what I expected you to say," she admitted quietly, looking like she didn't know how to continue. Truth be told, Zuko didn't know either. "Well," Katara finally let out a frustrated sigh. "I was prepared to spend a while shouting at you, but you just completely shot down that plan. Now I don't know what to say."

"I don't really enjoy you shouting at me, Katara, so forgive me for being happy about you not doing that," Zuko smiled at her, making the waterbender chuckle.

"Also, I must say... I'm really impressed how both mine and Toph's clothes were a near perfect fit," Katara admitted. "I just didn't expect that from a boy buying clothes for girls. I figured I'd have to spend days with needle and a thread, trying to fix a fashion disaster."

"I guess I'm just very observant," Zuko shrugged. "Or maybe shopping for clothes is one of my hidden talents that I didn't know anything about."

"It must be," Katara grinned at him, about to leave the grotto and return to the others, but he reached out and took her by the elbow, stopping her. "Yes?" she gave him a look full of surprise.

"You'll need to make one more small adjustment," he said quietly. "It's better if the necklace goes."

"Can't I still wear it if I'm pretending to be from the colonies?" Katara asked.

"It speaks of having pride in your heritage, and that might invoke questions," Zuko explained reluctantly. "If a colonial wants to avoid suspicion, better make sure to praise the greatness of the Fire Nation at every step."

"Oh..." Katara's eyes immediately pooled with sorrow as she quickly removed her mother's necklace. "You're right, of course. We can't afford any sentimentality right now," she added, pocketing the necklace away.

"Well, maybe we can afford some sentimentality, because I got you a replacement," Zuko said, retrieving the last of his purchases, a traditional Fire Nation necklace in red and gold, decorated with firebending symbols, offering it to Katara.

She took the gift with slightly trembling fingers, quickly fastening it around her neck. Then she looked up at Zuko with her eyes wide and filled with intense emotion as she impulsively threw her arms around him in a quick hug, before separating again and running off to join the others. Zuko simply stood there for a good while, trying to recover from the stunning surprise. Because of her skimpy outfit, he had been able to feel every curve of her body during their brief contact, and now Zuko desperately needed a few moments to calm himself from the effects of her body touching his.

Once he felt ready to return and rejoin the others, he found them waiting on him at the mouth of the cave, itching to head out. "Are we ready to go and explore the town, oh great Fire Nation guide?" Sokka asked him.

"I think we are," Zuko nodded. "Just remember to act natural. You don't have to put on some crazy act to try and blend in. People in the Fire Nation are the same as people elsewhere, shocking as that might seem. It was... very unusual for me to be able to wander around the town earlier without being recognized. It made me realize just how much people used to treat me with fear and deference when they knew I was the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. When they didn't know who I really was, I experienced their genuine kindness."

"That's nice, I guess," Sokka replied. "By the way, that reminds me. We never got the full story of what exactly happened with your scar. Where and how did you manage to get rid of it?"

"Does it really matter?" Zuko shrugged nervously. "It's gone, and that's to our advantage."

"Whoa, Sparky, both you and Sugar Queen suddenly became really anxious," Toph stated, annoyingly having noticed the spiking heart rates of them both. "What's up with that?"

"Nothing!" Katara exclaimed desperately. "Toph, you're being delusional!"

"I think I know what happened," Sokka whirled around, facing the group, pointing an accusing finger at his sister. "When I asked you about the Spirit Oasis water, you became really evasive, sis. And now I think I know why. You used it to heal Zuko's scar! Don't bother denying it!"

"I-..." Katara opened her mouth to argue, but it seemed like she didn't know quite what to say in her defense.

"You got that right, Sokka," Toph commented with a victorious nod. "I mean... ouch! So what you basically were hiding from us is that you could have healed Twinkletoes if you hadn't used your healing waters on Sparky. Damn, that's... I don't even know what to say..."

Sokka looked like he was about to launch into the angriest tirade of his life thus far, the young swordsman red in the face, but then he managed to recompose himself, turning around and angrily stomping off down a narrow path towards the beach. Katara's reaction was to sink down on a large boulder and bury her face in her hands, struggling not to cry.

"I'm sorry, Toph," Zuko managed. "We probably should have told you sooner, but... it's kind of hard to talk about. Especially when I know it's going to lead you to hating me even more," he added with a sigh.

"Don't be an idiot, Zuko, why would I hate you," Toph shrugged. "Actually, I kinda like you."

"Thanks, Toph," Zuko smiled, feeling relieved. "But you'd prefer Aang to be back and me gone, I'm certain of it."

"It's not a fair choice, Sparky," Toph shook her head. "I doubt Katara knew how this was going to play out when she healed your scar. I mean, it would have happened before Aang was struck by Azula's lightning..."

"Of course," Katara exclaimed quickly. "Something about using the Spirit Oasis waters on Zuko's scar just felt right, like I was supposed to do that. I couldn't have imagined that I would need them for something more important later. I... it's never going to stop hurting, is it..."

"At least I finally understand what's got you so twisted up, Katara," Toph said earnestly. "I mean, I don't think you did anything wrong, really. But I can see why you'd feel like crap about it all, and that's just... ugh, the weight of some decisions, you know what I mean?"

"Unfortunately, I do know what you mean," Katara spoke darkly. Sensing her distress, Toph sat down on the large boulder next to Katara and allowed the older girl to embrace her tightly, a rare display of affection from the young earthbender.

"I'll go talk to Sokka," Zuko offered, looking at the beach. Sokka had drawn his sword and was busy angrily slashing at some phantom enemies.

"Thank you, Zuko," Katara sniffed. "I... I don't think I could face him like this. He and Aang were so close..."

"It'll be alright, Katara," Zuko managed a smile that he hoped would be reassuring. He then headed down the same beaten path towards the beach that Sokka had taken. "Sokka?" he called out to Katara's brother, still angrily waving his sword around.

"Kinda busy being pissed off here, Zuko," Sokka snapped at him.

"Sokka, I can't say how sorry I am," Zuko was undeterred. "I know you would prefer your best friend here with you, and not me."

"What? It's not about that!" Sokka immediately lowered his sword. "Besides... that's a completely unfair choice to make. I mean... sure, I miss Aang terribly, I'd love nothing more than to have him back. But, at the same time... I mean, we've all learned that you're actually pretty cool, Zuko. If getting Aang back would mean losing you, that would be pretty awful, too."

Zuko smiled at the other boy, feeling touched by his earnest words. "Thanks, Sokka, that means a lot to hear," he said. "It's... a relief to know that you and Toph seem to like me being here. I hope one day your sister will be able to look at me without thinking how much she would rather be looking at Aang."

"You think that's what Katara thinks when she looks at you?" Sokka asked, sounding incredulous.

"I don't just think that, I know it," Zuko shrugged. "She told me herself."

"That was probably shortly after it all happened, maybe after the funeral," Sokka guessed.

"I think so... why does it matter?" Zuko asked.

"She was just so angry then, she often says things she doesn't mean in anger," Sokka tried to explain. "Maybe she felt that way about you at the beginning, but she doesn't feel that way now, that's clear to me."

"Are you sure?" Zuko frowned, uncertain if he believed Sokka. "And how does she feel about me now?"

"I think she is slowly coming to depend on you, actually," Sokka smiled at him. "As are we all. The decision she made had tragic consequences, for Aang, for us all, for the world. I'm struggling to accept that, and I'm furious at her for not having told us the truth earlier."

"Please don't be mad at her, Sokka," Zuko spoke softly. "She is so full of anger and hatred towards herself, and she was so worried that you and Toph would also hate her if you knew the truth. That's why she couldn't force herself to tell you. If you truly don't blame her for the decision she made, then please tell her that, it will make her feel a little better about herself."

"I... guess I should do that, yes," Sokka eventually nodded. "I get it now why she's been so insufferable these past few weeks. Always lashing out at everyone, I suppose it all makes sense... she must be really down on herself for what happened." He let out a big sigh. "Ugh, it's so unfair for her to suffer like that. I mean, she couldn't have known she'd need that healing water, right? We hadn't needed it for months!"

"Exactly," Zuko nodded. "It's very unfair for an act of compassion to have such tragic consequences. She deserves better."

"Yes," Sokka agreed quickly. "Anyway, I didn't finish my thought about how she feels about you, Zuko. I think if you just keep doing what you've been doing so far, be a loyal and dependable friend to her that she can rely on, she'll soon stop regretting having healed your scar, I'm sure of it. Katara can sometimes hold on to grudges for years, but this isn't that kind of a situation... and my sister is also someone who's very fair. If you're honest in your dealings with her, she'll come to appreciate you more and more."

"Thanks so much for that insight, Sokka," Zuko smiled at him. Against all odds, he was starting to feel a little more hopeful about Katara possibly not hating him eternally. "And she could use some support from you right about now," he pointed at where Katara and Toph sat, conversing quietly.

"I know," Sokka nodded firmly. "Come, let's rejoin them, Zuko. Time to cheer up my little sister with a big brotherly hug from Sokka."


	7. The Painted Lady Is Missing

"This place is so depressing," Sokka commented as the group of four walked the rickety planks of the wooden walkways of Jang Hui. It was the next settlement they had come across on their northwest heading journey of island hopping, a crumbling fishing village built in the middle of the river, it's fortunes fading fast because of the pollution of the river that had made fishing near impossible.

"It's a good thing we stockpiled so much food on our previous stop, that was a good idea, Zuko," Katara nodded at the exiled prince. "I don't think I could swallow a single bite of that horrific looking two-headed fish, I'm going to see it in my nightmares tonight."

"Well, the sooner we can ditch this place, the better, and it seems like we have no reason to stay," Toph sighed, sounding annoyed. "Once again, no solid ground under my feet, I just can't stand it!"

"I'm surprised that Katara isn't already demanding for us to remain until we've helped all these poor, oppressed people," Sokka chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous," Katara snapped at him. "I've learned my lesson when it comes to showing compassion. It would probably end up biting us in the backside somehow, anyway. So don't worry, Sokka, I can keep my eyes on our main goal just fine."

"Glad to hear it," Sokka gave her an approving nod, then looking back at Zuko, their new friend and ally lingering a little behind, staring in the distance downriver. "Anything interesting there, Zuko?"

"Perhaps," Zuko shrugged, pointing in the distance. "Unless I'm mistaken, there's a factory down that way. It's probably responsible for all this pollution."

"That's all very sad, Zuko, and once you've taken over from your crazy dad, I'm sure you'll be able to do something about it," Sokka spoke, putting his hand on Zuko's shoulder and trying to pull him away. "But right now, we probably should be away from a place where we have no hope of restocking our supplies."

"You don't get it, Sokka," Zuko removed Sokka's hand from his shoulder. "It's not just any factory. It's a factory that produces ammunition for the Fire Nation military."

"Hmm, so... what you're saying is... that it would be a real shame if something happened to it?" Sokka blinked in realization.

"I like where this is going," Katara's smile turned slightly predatory once again. "Toph, how would you like to cause some major property damage?"

"I'm definitely in the mood for some destruction, Sweetness," Toph grinned.

"Well, then it's decided," Sokka rubbed his hands, looking excited. "Let's grab a boat and get back to the camp, we can talk details there as we wait for the nightfall."

"It would probably make sense to attack under the cover of the night," Zuko sighed.

"Aww, cheer up Sparky, don't feel so sad about never getting to impress Katara with your firebending at its most powerful!" Toph laughed.

"What's she talking about now?" Sokka blinked.

"Nothing," Zuko shrugged.

"Exactly, Toph is just being Toph," Katara sighed. "Now, where's that crazy ferryman... it's time we got back to the camp."

"Step this way, step this way!" right on cue, the crazy old ferryman who had introduced himself as Dock appeared, welcoming them onto his rickety boat. Fortunately, they didn't have to deal with the presence of the eccentric old man for too long, quickly reaching the shore. Sokka threw a coin at Dock before they retreated back to their carefully chosen campsite, well away from the eyes of the Jang Hui villagers.

"Right!" Sokka called out for everyone's attention once they were back in the safety of their camp. "So, as soon as the night falls, we're hitting that factory! And immediately after that, we'll be packing up and moving on, so... that can mean only one thing!"

"Nap time!" Toph exclaimed, letting out a huge yawn. Toph never found it easy to fall asleep on Appa's back during flight, so she was clearly glad for an opportunity to sleep on solid ground.

"I'm honestly not at all sleepy right now," Katara shrugged. "I think I'll stay up a bit."

"Well, that sounds like your problem, Sweetness," Toph shrugged at her. "Sweet dreams, you lot!" the smaller girl called out as she disappeared behind the flap of her tent.

"I'm off too, and you two make sure to get some rest as well," Sokka said sternly to both Katara and Zuko. "I want us to be well rested for the next leg of our journey, we have a schedule to maintain!"

"Ah yes, the ever important schedule, obviously," Katara rolled her eyes.

Zuko felt himself full of hesitation. Sokka was right, they all needed sleep ahead of another exhausting night of traveling, and yet, suddenly he couldn't think of sleeping when he knew that Katara would be staying up all by herself. Still, he wasn't sure that she even wanted his company, so Zuko found himself caught in two minds, lingering by his tent indecisively.

"If you're not sleepy, you can keep me company," Katara looked at him, speaking with the faintest of smiles.

"Thanks," Zuko replied with a smile of his own, relief washing over him. "I don't think I would have been able to sleep, but I... wasn't sure if you wanted to be alone or not."

"I don't mind either way," Katara shrugged. She was about to say more, but Toph's voice coming from the tent interrupted her.

"Keep it down, you two! Some of us are trying to sleep here!" Toph shouted.

"Let's go down to the riverbank?" Katara asked, Zuko giving her a quick nod as they took the only path leading away from the camp, a steep climb that took them right down to the sandy bank. Katara immediately made herself comfortable sitting on her knees in the sand, while Zuko distracted himself by throwing small pebbles into the thick, soup-like water, watching them getting swallowed by the polluted water with a squelchy, sucking sound, almost like being thrown into thick mud.

Bored of this futile activity, Zuko eventually came to sit next to Katara, both of them remaining silent and contemplative until she spoke up again. "Today makes exactly one month since that fateful night in Ba Sing Se," Katara said slowly, revealing the reason for her moodiness. "I can hardly believe that. Feels like it happened only yesterday."

"I know what you mean," Zuko sighed deeply. "I can see you still miss him terribly. I mean... I'm sure the others do as well, but you're taking it especially hard, aren't you?"

"Well," Katara gave him a slightly incredulous stare. "My decision got him killed, didn't it?"

Zuko felt his face flush with embarrassment. "No, I... I meant beyond that," he stammered. "I mean... you loved him, did you not?"

"Don't you remember what I said at the funeral?" Katara exclaimed sharply. "We all loved him in our own way."

"I may have phrased that wrong," Zuko sighed. "What I meant to ask was something else. Were you in love with Aang?"

Katara didn't answer for the longest time, making Zuko fear that he had overstepped his bounds. Just before he could apologize, however, she spoke up again. "I'm not sure... and maybe that's an answer in itself?" Katara wondered aloud. "I think I could have loved him. I probably would have ended up in love with Aang."

"Maybe... maybe it's a small mercy that you didn't," Zuko said quietly. "It would have probably hurt even more than it does now."

"I can't imagine how it could hurt worse, but you're probably right," Katara nodded. "Zuko?" she glanced at him following a lengthier pause, causing him to look at her. "Sokka told me a few things recently... something that you probably told him in confidence, but I'm still glad he told me. He said that you still thought that I hate you or something."

"Shouldn't you?" Zuko asked bitterly.

"No, I shouldn't. Not anymore, anyway," Katara shook her head. "And I don't. If there's someone I hate and am still angry at, then it's me."

"That... makes me really sad to think about, Katara," Zuko said quietly. "Because when I look at you, I only see things worth admiring."

"Admiring? About me? Like what?" Katara chuckled darkly.

"There's plenty to admire about you, Katara," Zuko gave her an earnest smile. "You're probably the strongest person I've ever known. I realize that the more I learn about you and your past. I don't know anyone who has been through so much while still being so young."

Katara gave him a strange look, filled with so many conflicting emotions, that Zuko wasn't sure how to interpret it. "It's kind of you to say so, Zuko," she gave him a pained, bitter smile. "I only wish I could believe it myself."

"I'm not going to stop trying to make you realize how worthy of admiration you are, Katara," Zuko said, surprising himself with his boldness.

"Why does that matter so much to you?" Katara asked.

"I don't know," Zuko shrugged. "No... I think I do know. I think it's because I feel that I'm also responsible for what happened with Aang. And I feel that it is so unfair and undeserved that it's tearing you up like this. And I want to do what I can to make this burden easier on you, Katara."

"That's... that's very sweet of you, Zuko," she suddenly blushed deep scarlet. "I... really appreciate that, thank you. You're a good friend."

"Do you truly mean that?" Zuko asked, appearing surprised. Katara peered at him, unsure of what he had meant. "You called me a friend. Are we... are we truly friends? I would love that, but I wasn't sure... I guess Sokka and Toph saw me as a friend already, but since I thought you were still angry with me..."

"Zuko," Katara spoke up firmly. "Don't be silly. Of course, we are friends. You've proven more than worthy of my friendship, don't doubt that." Zuko looked immensely grateful at hearing her words. "But now, I feel slightly exhausted," Katara continued, rising from her place in the sand. "I think I'm ready to head back and try to get some sleep."

Zuko nodded in agreement as they proceeded up the path. As they bumped slightly into each other during the steep climb, Zuko reached out and boldly took her hand in his. Katara's cheeks flushed slightly pinkish as she stole a shy glance at him, but she never pulled away, allowing him to hold her hand all the way back to the campsite where they disappeared into their respective tents without a further word.

* * *

Shortly after the nightfall, the group of four made their flight upriver on Appa's back, quickly reaching the Fire Nation munitions factory. Appa flew them close by the massive pipes through which industrial waste was being pumped into the river, and they quickly dismounted, making good use of the fact that this side of the factory did not appear to be guarded. It only made sense, since there was no entrance to guard, but the Fire Nation soldiers had not accounted for a metalbender, and in short order Toph had created a large enough hole in the factory's wall for all of them to squeeze through.

Inside, the giant furnaces still emitted intense heat, even if they had been shut down a few hours earlier, the production being halted overnight. There didn't seem to be any guards inside the factory either, as nobody came running to investigate the creaking sounds of Toph metalbending the walls.

"There's so much earth and metal to work with, here!" Toph cheered excitedly. "It's like being in a candy store!"

"Just don't bury us with the entire factory, Toph," Sokka warned.

"It's really up to you, Toph, I mean... there's not much I can do here with either my firebending or my swords," Zuko added. "Looks like Sokka and I will be contributing by cheering you girls on."

"Well, we do like to have a captive audience," Katara smiled as together with Toph they set to their task. In short order, broken and bent metal pipes began crashing down all around them, Katara aiding Toph by drawing water from the river and then lashing out with her bending to slice some of the machinery into inoperable pieces.

"Ugh, this is taking too much time and effort," Toph grunted with annoyance. "To really metalbend all this into a smoldering pile, I'd need to get down to the lower levels and work from there."

"It's too risky, Toph, try something else!" Sokka called out to her.

"Yeah, no kidding, Snoozles!" Toph shouted back at him. "I can sense a lot of molten iron down there, so I'd rather not do that!"

"Those guards might be asleep on their watch, but sooner or later they'll take notice of something being very wrong," Zuko mused, watching with worry how the entire structure of the large factory was rocked by the occasional tremor.

"Don't worry, I've got it all figured out, guys!" Toph called out to them. "I don't know why I'm so focused on trying to metalbend all the time, it's not like earthbending is suddenly useless. This is going to be easy! I can just shift the earth under the foundations of the factory. It'll collapse on itself!"

"Wait, that sounds a little unsafe!" Sokka cried out in warning.

"Pfft, you have legs to run with, don't you?" Toph scowled and bent to her task. Massive chunks of rock rose from the earth and immediately began to tear the carcass of the entire factory at the seams. Toph let the previously elevated rocks fall and raised them in a different corner of the factory, putting even more strain on the by now irreversibly crumbling structure.

"Everyone, get out!" Zuko shouted, pushing Sokka towards the hole in the wall. Katara seemed so preoccupied not to be outdone by Toph that she was unaware of the danger, and Zuko had to grab her a little roughly, pushing her towards Sokka, her brother catching Katara and helping her through the opening in the wall.

"Time to go, Toph!" Zuko cried, rushing after the overexcited earthbender, cackling like a madwoman as she methodically reduced the massive factory into chunks of metal and rubble. Without giving Toph any advanced warning, Zuko simply scooped her up into his arms and quickly dashed towards the exit. Thankfully, Appa was hovering in the air close by, and a jump later, Zuko found himself on the back of the sky bison, in relative safety, watching the factory slowly collapse in on itself.

"Jealous much, Katara?" Toph giggled as Zuko carefully lowered her onto Appa's back. "Bet you want to trade places."

"You're so ridiculous, Toph," Katara groaned in frustration.

"Sure, that was impressive, Toph, but Katara's waterbending is pretty powerful too, I doubt she's really jealous," Sokka completely missed the point of Toph's teasing, earning a facepalm from her.

"Speaking of my waterbending, I'd like to add a finishing touch to our work," Katara commented. With Appa still hovering over the polluted river and close by the collapsing factory, Katara used her bending to gather massive quantities of water, shaping it into a giant wave and then sending it crashing over the remains of the factory. With its structure bent all out of shape and now lying under several feet of water, the factory appeared well and truly out of commission.

"I think that's a very emphatic finishing touch," Sokka laughed. "Job done, guys! Time to head back, pack up our tents and get out of here!"

"Finally, we can be away from this place!" Toph cheered once they had reached their camp, using Appa's tail like a slide to dismount, then quickly starting to gather her things, the rest of them following the earthbender's example.

It took them about a quarter of an hour to dismantle the camp and cram all their belongings onto Appa's back. As soon as the sky bison had taken off, however, they immediately became aware of some sort of activity on the river. Multiple red dots were moving in the dark, quickly traveling downriver from the ruined factory towards the fishing village.

"Fire Nation jet skis," Zuko explained curtly.

"Wait... are those Fire Nation soldiers, moving in on the village?" Sokka asked. Zuko nodded simply. "Do they honestly think that it was the villagers who did **that** to their factory?"

"I'm not sure they've even stopped to think about that, Sokka," Zuko explained. "They're angry and they are seeking retribution. They don't care about who really did it. They just want someone to pay." As on cue, a massive flame flared up and torched a pair of the village hovels, a firebender unleashing their destructive powers upon the unsuspecting villagers. Soon enough, their screams echoed into the night as more and more buildings were set on fire.

"I, uh... shouldn't we... do something..." Sokka appeared greatly distraught at the sight, looking at Katara in particular, expecting his far more compassionate sister to immediately jump into action. This time, however, he found Katara unmoving, staring at the burning village with a resigned look in her eyes.

"Would it be wise to reveal our presence to the Fire Nation military?" Zuko asked. "We would have to kill them all, and I'm sure one or two would slip away in the dark." Sokka cursed inwardly, knowing that Zuko was right.

"Anyway, Snoozles," Toph remarked innocently. "Helping the villagers probably isn't on our schedule, right?"

"Nor was destroying that factory, Toph," Sokka sighed deeply. "This feels so wrong... normally, I'd expect myself to now be trying to talk Katara down from rushing to help those people."

"Not this time," Katara shrugged. "Eyes on the prize, Sokka. Fire Lord Ozai and Princess Azula must die. We can't allow anything to distract us from that goal. Anything."

"Did you know that the Fire Nation soldiers would react like this, Zuko?" Sokka asked, still unable to let go and give Appa the command to take them away to safety.

"Sokka, the truth is that I simply didn't think about it," Zuko admitted. "I probably should have... and then I probably would have seen these consequences coming."

"Now I'm starting to really regret touching that factory," Sokka sighed.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure it was the right thing to do, Snoozles," Toph replied firmly. "This whole thing reminds me of something my father once told me when he ordered our estate guards to chase away some do-gooders seeking donations. He told me that no good deed goes unpunished. I'm starting to see what he meant!"

"You guys are a really depressing bunch," Sokka frowned, petting Momo as the lemur sat on his shoulder as if to offer comfort. "You're just making me miss Aang all the more."

"I'm sorry, Sokka," Zuko placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "But you know that leaving is the right thing to do."

"Yeah," Sokka eventually gave in with a sigh. "It's just that... right now I'm feeling really awful about doing this supposedly right thing."


	8. Way of the Sword

Having traveled the entire night straight westwards, Appa took the group of four across the largest island they had seen yet, one covered by thick forests. It had been a strange night, illuminated by a spectacular meteor shower, everyone but Toph amazed by the display of falling stars. Some had even struck the ground, starting a few forest fires here and there, but pressed for time, they could not afford to do anything about it, Zuko insisting that they reach the town of Shu Jing by the morning.

It had been a tight race, but they had reached their destination briefly before the dawn, managing to set up a campsite higher up in the nearby mountains, safe distance from the town. Now, a couple of hours after dawn, Katara, Sokka and Toph were sleeping in their tents, while Zuko had offered to go on a brief scouting mission into the town.

However, upon reaching Shu Jing, Zuko didn't even enter the town, instead picking a path that led away from Shu Jing, higher up into the mountains. There, overlooking the town, stood the reason why he had been so desperate to make a stop at Shu Jing, even managing to talk Sokka into slightly adjusting their schedule. Having made the brief climb up the mountain path, Zuko finally stood at the gates he hadn't faced for four years, leading inside the dojo of Piandao, the most renowned sword master of the Fire Nation, and his own favorite tutor.

Zuko didn't waste any time, knocking on the gate. Someone very familiar soon opened the gates and stared at him. "Ah, Fat, I am so glad to see you still serving Master Piandao," Zuko smiled at the older man. "Do you think he might find the time to see one of his former students?"

"And who might you be-..." Fat began with a slightly condescending glare, but then blinked as he realized who stood before him. "Prince Zuko! My apologies, but I did not realize it was you!"

"That's alright, Fat, I've done some growing up during those four years since I was last here," Zuko chuckled. "Now, about seeing the Master..."

"Of course, Prince Zuko, of course!" Fat nodded quickly, letting him pass through and then leading him inside the dojo, escorting him towards the private chambers of Zuko's old tutor. "Master Piandao will be pleased to meet you, I'm sure. Oh, Master!" Fat called out, alerting an elderly man sitting cross legged on the floor, deep in his meditations. "Master, you won't believe who's come to see you!"

Piandao, a severe but fair looking man in his early fifties, slowly turned to face the intruders, his eyebrows rising a little as he gazed upon his former student. "Zuko! This is a surprise, but not an unwelcome one, for you are still my favorite student," Piandao smiled as Zuko gave him the formal greeting. "Should I ask what brings you here, or perhaps it is better that I don't know?"

"That might be for the better, master," Zuko nodded, appearing regretful. "I would rather not make you complicit to treason."

"Indeed," Piandao smiled thinly. "Still, there must be a reason for you to seek me out during all this turmoil that I am trying to distance myself from."

"There is a reason, Master Piandao," Zuko bowed his head. "One of my companions, a young Water Tribe warrior, is a very talented swordsman, but he desperately needs more training. I wanted to ask you if you would consider tutoring him. Just a few lessons to set him on the right path."

"It's been a while since I've had a promising apprentice," Piandao mused thoughtfully. "Very well, Zuko. Bring him to me, and I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you, Master Piandao," Zuko bowed deeply. "I don't suppose you would be kind enough to find room for the rest of my companions and myself while you're training Sokka?"

"That can be arranged," Piandao nodded. "Fat will take care of it. How many companions are you traveling with, Zuko?"

"It's just me, Sokka, his sister Katara and a young Earth Kingdom girl, Toph," Zuko explained. "Oh, and then there's Appa. You're going to love him, Fat."

"Indeed?" the servant wondered. "What is this Appa like?"

"Oh, he has five stomachs, six legs and weighs close to nine tons," Zuko explained with a broad grin on his face. "Appa is our sky bison," he added upon seeing the mortified look on Fat's face.

"A sky bison?" Piandao wondered, looking impressed. "I find myself deeply intrigued about the adventures of your group, Zuko. They sound wondrous."

"I'm sure I'll be able to share some stories during the breaks in Sokka's training," Zuko replied. "Now, with your permission, I will bring my friends to the dojo."

"Yes, do so, Zuko," Piandao nodded. "Fat, go and make preparations to receive our visitors. They seem like the most interesting group of people, and by Agni, it will be a welcome break from my meditations."

* * *

Three days later Sokka's training was progressing so well, that he had forgotten all about it not being a part of his original schedule. While Master Piandao had been initially frustrated with Sokka's unorthodox solutions to some of his challenges, with time, the great master had realized that they were actually valuable expressions of Sokka's unique individuality and creativity. After only a couple of days, Master Piandao had decided that Sokka was worthy of having the opportunity to create his own sword. Even there, Sokka had shown his creative approach, turning down all the available materials at the forge, instead scouring the countryside together with his friends for the chunks of fallen meteorites. The result of all this effort was a beautiful and elegant blade, grey and matted in appearance, of unparalleled strength and sharpness.

While Sokka had been hard at work these past few days, the others had fully enjoyed the luxuries that Master Piandao's residence afforded. Ever since Ba Sing Se, they hadn't enjoyed a proper bath, and Katara had even managed to bully Toph into for once overcoming her revulsion of water and properly washing herself. It was a great relief not having to constantly worry about their next meal, or where to set up a camp and get some much needed rest. All of them felt a little saddened that this blissful respite was coming to an end, when on the evening of their third day of stay, Sokka faced his final challenge, and his toughest one by far, a sparring duel against Master Piandao himself.

Zuko, Katara and Toph all sat on the nearby terrace, observing the duel, Katara ardently supporting her brother with clapping and cheering, Zuko and Toph joining in as well. And Sokka definitely needed their encouragement, as Master Piandao chased him back and forth across the courtyard, always keeping his struggling apprentice on the defensive, not giving him a moment's respite. Still, even under constant pressure, Sokka still came up with many creative ways to get himself out of trouble, using the surroundings to his advantage, and every time he successfully evaded defeat, Master Piandao stopped to acknowledge and praise the decisions he had made on the fly.

Sokka held out for a very long time, and it took an unlucky accident of him tripping over a tree branch to be finally disarmed by Master Piandao. "Excellent work, Sokka!" Piandao was still full of praise as he turned away the sword he had been pointing at the boy's chest. "You have that something special which very few of my apprentices have had. When you first arrived here, I immediately saw a heart as strong as a lion turtle and twice as big. And as we trained, it was not your skills that impressed me. No, it was something that went beyond it," the great master said, picking up Sokka's fallen sword. He waited for Sokka to rise from the ground and then passed the sword back to him. "What impressed me most about you was your creativity. Versatility. Intelligence. These are the traits that define a great swordsman. And these are the traits that define you."

"Th-thank you, Master Piandao," Sokka sniffled, looking overcome from all the high praise thrown at him.

"But you must promise me to continue your training, Sokka," Master Piandao spoke firmly. "If you stay on this path, I know that one day you'll become an even greater master than I am. But I am certain that you will be in good hands, Sokka, because you will continue your path side by side with the best of my apprentices."

"Are you sending someone to accompany us, Master Piandao?" Sokka blinked, looking utterly stupefied. "Our mission is very dangerous, I'm not sure we could-..."

"No, Sokka, you misunderstand," Master Piandao laughed. "My best apprentice is _already_ traveling with you," he said, then pointing at Zuko, the exiled prince having gone red in the face from the sudden attention and gasps directed at him.

"Zuko is your apprentice!?" Sokka exclaimed, looking like he was going to faint from the shocking revelation. "So... so that's why you accepted to train me in the first place, Master Piandao!"

"No, that is why I agreed to _see_ you, Sokka," Master Piandao corrected him. "I would not have agreed to train you if I hadn't immediately seen the raw talent before me."

"But why didn't you just tell us that you knew Master Piandao from before?" Katara asked, wide-eyed as she stared at Zuko.

"Umm, I didn't want to make a fuss, honestly," Zuko nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "And I didn't want Sokka to think that Master Piandao only took him on because I put in a word for him. Because nothing could be further from the truth."

"Well... you still could have told me!" Katara frowned at him.

"Ah, don't be too hard on him, Sweetness, Sparky was just being modest," Toph chuckled.

"That he is," Master Piandao nodded in agreement. "When Zuko was twelve, his father sent him to spend three months at my dojo. During that time, we came to know each other very well and developed a close bond. Zuko?" the master swordsman gave the exiled prince a fond stare. "Would you honor an old man's request? How about a test of skill? I want to see just what you have learned over these past four years."

"Gladly, Master Piandao, but without proper dao swords, I will be no match for you," Zuko shook his head respectfully.

"That can be arranged quickly," Master Piandao smiled. "Fat! Fat, come here!" he called for his loyal servant. "Fat, bring my best dao swords for Zuko. We're going to spar!"

"Right away, Master," Fat nodded emotionlessly and disappeared. Moments later he returned, carrying a pair of exquisite dao swords which he handed over to Zuko.

"Satisfied, Zuko?" Piandao asked as Zuko carefully examined the swords, testing their weight, feeling the muscle memory instantly reawakened by the familiar feel.

"More than satisfied, Master, these blades are perfect," Zuko said, jumping down from the terrace and landing in the courtyard below. Before assuming a battle stance, he quickly removed his heavy robe, remaining dressed in his baggy pants and a sleeveless shirt.

"Very well, let us begin," Master Piandao announced, readying his jian sword. The two combatants began to circle one another, testing each other with exploratory thrusts and parries before the dangerous sparring dance began in earnest, Katara, Sokka and Toph observing breathlessly from the terrace above.

"Whoa, Sweetness, your heart is really racing right now," Toph commented as the two swordsmen circled each other, still searching for an opening. Piandao was not having it all his own way, he didn't have the kind of advantage over Zuko to send his former apprentice on a chase all around the courtyard. "Relax, it's just a sparring match!"

"Hey, those swords are awfully sharp and could easily take off an arm if they're not careful!" Katara retorted defensively.

"I think those swords were just as sharp when Sokka was fighting the Master and you hardly seemed worried then," Toph annoyingly pointed out.

"Exactly, Master Piandao almost nicked me that one time, I could feel the blade passing by, it was so close," Sokka nodded, breathless as he watched the close contest below. Piandao was slowly starting to put Zuko on the defensive, but it was far from over.

"I think she just likes watching Sparky working out and getting all sweaty," Toph laughed. "It helps that he's not wearing his robes, too."

"Now you're just being all weird, Toph," Sokka laughed. "I mean... you're not saying that my sister is into Zuko, right?" Toph facepalmed again.

"Of course she's not saying that, Toph is just trying to annoy me as usual," Katara said quickly, her hands clutching at the railing of the terrace as she watched the final moments of the contest, Piandao finally managing to corner and then disarm Zuko. Having lasted a good while, the sparring match was finally at an end, Katara letting out a deep sigh of relief.

"You have made some progress, Zuko, but not as much as you could have made," Piandao commented as the two contestants bowed to each other.

"I know, Master," Zuko nodded apologetically. "These past few years have been rough. I have not had as many opportunities to practice as I had hoped. Not to mention the loss of my swords..."

"That can be easily remedied," Master Piandao smiled, offering the two exquisite dao swords to Zuko.

"Are you certain, Master?" Zuko at first hesitated to accept them. "It would be an honor, but..."

"Please, Zuko, just take the swords," Piandao said encouragingly. "Something tells me that you're going to need them far more than I do." Zuko finally allowed himself to be convinced as he took the swords and they both returned to the terrace to rejoin with the others.

"Now, can I convince you to stay for one last dinner before you head out to continue your adventures?" Master Piandao asked, receiving four happy nods from the group. "Excellent! Fat! Fat, where are you?" Piandao bellowed to summon the servant. "Fat, how long until the dinner is ready?"

"No more than ten minutes, master," the loyal servant replied, passing a message over to his master, together with a small round token. "Meanwhile, this letter arrived for you."

"Hmm? Oh yes, it looks urgent," Piandao smiled, quickly pocketing the letter and the token, but not before Zuko had spotted what it was.

"A White Lotus Pai Sho tile?" the exiled prince wondered. "My uncle always kept one of those close at all times. For good fortune, he used to say."

"Oh? How very interesting," Piandao commented with a slightly enigmatic smile. "Your uncle is a great man, Zuko, I know you'll agree. I'm sure you are doing whatever you can to free him."

"I'll free Uncle Iroh, or I'll die trying," Zuko intoned grimly.

"Well," Master Piandao clapped his hands as he looked at the group. "Since the dinner is about to be served, shall we go inside and get seated?" With everyone nodding, they turned to follow the Master inside, but Zuko found himself stopped by an insistent tug on his arm, turning around to be faced by Katara's searching stare.

"Could I have a moment of your time?" she asked softly.

"Of course, Katara, always," Zuko smiled at her.

"I'm not happy that you kept the truth from me, Zuko," Katara frowned slightly, but then the smile returned to her face. "But at the same time, I'm very grateful for what you did. You did a wonderful thing for my brother, Zuko, and I'll never forget that. And I know that you wanted to keep your involvement a secret, but I'm very glad that Master Piandao told us the truth. I guess what I'm saying..." she appeared a little breathless and blushing. "Thank you, Zuko," she finished, then throwing her arms around him for a quick hug. As she was pulling away, Katara leaned in and surprised him with a gentle kiss on the cheek before she turned and ran after the others, leaving Zuko stunned, happy and confused.

Eventually, Zuko concluded that for a girl who had still very recently hated his guts, Katara was behaving very strangely... but he was okay with that.


	9. Combustion Man

Having left Piandao's dojo at nightfall, the intrepid group of four continued their journey of Fire Nation island hoping, traveling further southwest. The next large island they reached was a completely barren volcanic rock with no settlements, and seeing that they would not reach the next island before the break of dawn, they decided to spend the entire day resting on the volcanic island. With their supplies well stocked at Shu Jing, they were well provisioned for the days to come without the pressing need to visit any Fire Nation settlements. And when the group of four came across a lovely secluded cove of hot springs, perfect for swimming and splashing around in the water, the decision to stop and rest until nightfall was made unanimously.

With no sign of civilization nearby, they quickly dropped their guard, changing into whatever swimwear they had available among their supplies, and spent the first few hours of the morning fooling around in the water. Even Toph got in on the act, seemingly enjoying herself a great deal as she splashed around in the shallower parts of the water, dressed in knee-length yellow shorts and a modest red top. Having grown tired of swimming, Toph used her earthbending to raise a shallow pillar from the bottom of the pool, settling on top of it so that it allowed her feet to continue soaking in the warm, rejuvenating water.

When Katara had emerged from her tent, having let down her long hair, wearing a two piece swimsuit consisting from a skimpy white top and matching white shorts reaching just above her knees, with a skirt-like outer layer covering them, Zuko had felt his throat suddenly going dry as a desert from the stunning view. It was fortunate that Sokka had swam nearby at that moment to challenge him to a contest of reaching the other side of the pool and swimming back, Zuko feeling relieved about the distraction.

Their contest was a close affair, despite facing a Water Tribesman and Sokka feeling extremely comfortable in the water. Zuko was no slouch himself and Sokka was struggling to gain a decisive advantage as they reached the other side of the pool and turned around on their way back. It was then that another contestant joined their little challenge, gracefully and effortlessly swimming past them, and comfortably beating them back to the shore. As Katara rose from the water, smiling smugly, rivulets of water glistening as they ran down her coppery skin, Zuko forgot that he still had to stay above the water and ended up swallowing a mouthful of water as a punishment for getting distracted.

"So, what do I get for winning?" Katara grinned at the two boys.

"Pfft, that doesn't count, you used waterbending," Sokka argued, not looking impressed.

"Like you wouldn't use waterbending if you only could," Katara snapped back, hands on her hips.

"I think it's fair, why not use an advantage if you have it," Zuko sided with Katara as he rose from the water, bare-chested and wearing nothing but his baggy swimming trunks.

"Yes, exac-..." Katara nodded, then turning towards Zuko, and seemingly losing her trail of thought as her eyes lingered on his naked torso. She then blushed and quickly looked away. "Anyway, I won and that's that," Katara finished and quickly dove back into the water, continuing to make long, graceful circles along the pool.

"Ugh, why must she always have the last word?" Sokka complained, settling in on the shore, laying on his back with hands behind his head, staring at the cloudless sky above.

"I think that goes with being a girl," Zuko chuckled. He briefly returned to the water and resumed swimming, trying to see if he could match Katara, if only for a little bit, but she was simply too fast for him to keep up with. Sighing in defeat, he returned to the shore and sat there cross-legged, allowing the sun to warm his chest. Now and then, he stole a glance at Katara swimming around in the water, occasionally noticing that her eyes had been firmly fixed on him as she swam. Whenever their eyes met, she instantly became flustered and turned away, but never for too long.

Having had enough fun in the water, the four friends retreated to their tents for some much needed sleep, getting ready for another night flight across the Fire Nation archipelago. Three hours had passed at most, when Toph suddenly woke up, alarmed by the oddest sensation, a light tremor that she was somehow capable of sensing nearby. Curious, she rose from her sleeping mat and pressed her foot against the ground of solid rock to get a clearer sense of what was happening. And what her senses were telling her was definitely something highly alarming.

"Guys! Wake up!" she exclaimed, trying to sound urgent while still keeping her voice low. Whatever was heading their way was still some distance away, maybe half a mile or so, but Toph instantly knew that this was important. When the others failed to react immediately, she dashed straight into Sokka's tent and started shaking him awake. "Sokka, get up! I think we're in danger!" the young earthbender spoke urgently.

"Whu... what?" Sokka blinked, letting out a huge yawn. "What are you talking about, Toph? We're alone on this chunk of rock, go back to sleep."

Toph growled and gave Sokka the kind of slap that instantly shook him awake. "Snoozles, I'm not messing with you!" she insisted. "I can tell there's something heading our way! Something big and mostly made out of metal."

"What, like a Fire Nation tank?" Sokka instantly jumped up to his feet. "Well, why didn't you say so? Katara, Zuko! Get up, it's time to go!"

"What?" a sleepy Katara poked her head out of the tent. "What's going on?" Zuko also emerged quickly, looking around the cove, failing to spot anyone approaching.

"Toph senses a Fire Nation tank approaching!" Sokka exclaimed.

"I never said it was a tank!" Toph argued, hastily gathering her belongings, the others following her example as they quickly threw all their stuff onto Appa's back. "Actually..." Toph froze for a moment, listening in with her feet once more. "Those vibrations are like the footsteps of a really large man. But he's almost fully encased in metal."

"That's ridiculous," Sokka rolled his eyes. "A walking metal man? Zuko, they don't have those in the Fire Nation military, do they? Zuko?" They all turned to face the exiled prince, noticing that he had gone silent and pale in the face.

"Oh no," Zuko breathed out. "Quickly!" he shouted. "Don't bother with the tents, just leave them. We have to go!" Zuko exclaimed, grabbing Toph and all but throwing her onto Appa's back, then helping Katara to quickly climb atop the sky bison. Sokka had made it up by himself and Zuko followed swiftly. A quick yip-yip later, Appa took to the skies, leaving their tents and many other belongings behind.

"What are you so afraid of, Zuko?" Katara asked, still looking a little incredulous.

"Not now, Katara, we're still in great danger," Zuko exclaimed, carefully watching their surroundings. There it was, at the edge of the crater, just the tiniest flash of light, almost like sunlight reflecting from a shiny surface. At the very last moment, Zuko managed to throw a large shield of flames to surround Appa with, before it was struck by a devastating explosion, caused by a transparent bolt of energy, hurled at them from the edge of the crater. Even though the fire shield had absorbed the explosion, the force of it still disrupted the sky bison's flight and sent Appa crashing towards the ground, Sokka just barely managing to stabilize their loyal friend's flight.

"Damn it, what's going on?" Sokka shouted, struggling to control Appa's flight.

"Someone is attacking us!" Katara yelled back. She drew upon her waterbending, summoning a massive wave from the pool and sending it to crash down towards the spot from which the attacks seemed to be coming from. Another explosion struck her summoned wave and evaporated it. "They're bending like the Fire Lord himself!" Katara's eyes widened at their attacker's display of raw power.

"Let's see them blast through these rocks!" Toph exclaimed, and moments later massive pillars rose from the ground, creating a barrier between them and their assailant. The next explosion completely leveled the thick barrier that Toph had created. "Well, crap! That guy really means business!" Toph commented, sounding a little frightened.

Fortunately, it seemed as if Katara and Toph had bought them just enough time to put enough distance between themselves and their attacker. The next explosion came shortly afterwards, but it failed to reach them, detonating some fifty yards behind them. They had managed to escape the range of the assailant's attack and could all breathe easier as Appa carried them further and further away from the immediate danger.

"Damn it, our tents and most of our food was left behind!" Sokka complained.

"That's not good, but also not the most important thing right now, Sokka," Katara said, turning towards Zuko. "You seem to know who that was, Zuko."

"I don't know them as such, but I have heard legends about that man," Zuko began to explain. "He's an assassin for hire. My father has employed him before... and now I think he has sent this man after me."

"Whoa, seriously, your dad is like the worst parent of the century, Sparky," Toph commented with sympathy. "But what's with all those explosions? That's not normal firebending, right?"

"No, that's a very rare style of firebending, called combustionbending," Zuko explained. "It is said that he has a third-eye tattoo on his forehead. He can channel his chi energy through it, creating these bolts of energy that explode on impact. And he can fire off a lot of them in a very short time, so... he makes for a very dangerous enemy. I'm sorry..."

"Zuko, you have nothing to apologize for," Katara spoke softly. "I know you're going to say that if you weren't here, then this assassin wouldn't have attacked us, but honestly... without you, the whole invasion plan might have fizzled out by now. I mean, we certainly wouldn't be here right now." Zuko gave her a deeply grateful look at those words. "Still, what I want to know is, how did he find us?"

"I'm not sure... maybe someone recognized us, though I still think that's unlikely," Zuko mused. "Or... he might have employed June to track us down. You know, the woman I hired to track you down," he added, having faced inquisitive stares from Katara and Sokka. "The one with the shirshu mount."

"Oh right," Sokka snapped his fingers. "Yes, it figures that those types would stick together."

"Well, I didn't see June and Nyla around, so I don't believe that she has joined the hunt," Zuko shrugged. "Perhaps he just paid her to lead him to our location. But one thing is clear, he's not going to stop."

"That's going to make our journey so much more interesting," Sokka sighed. "Anyway, now we have to think about resupplying. Where's the closest settlement, Zuko?"

"It's going to be a long flight and we'll need to make at least one stop along the way, but I think we should travel further southwest and try to reach the Fire Fountain City," Zuko replied. "It's the largest city in the outer islands, we should be able to resupply there."

"Then it's decided!" Sokka rubbed his hands excitedly. "Oh! There's one more thing. Do you know the name of this assassin, Zuko?" The exiled prince shook his head. "Well, then we need to give him one... hmm... I propose... the Combustion Man!"

"Not every villain needs a name, Sokka," Katara sighed at her brother.

"Maybe not, but every recurring villain definitely needs a name!" Sokka argued. "And I have a feeling that we're going to see more of this guy."

"Snoozles?" Toph laughed. "I think you're bang on the money with that prediction..."

* * *

"This seemed like a slight overreaction even for you, Azula," Mai commented idly, inspecting her nails, as together with Azula and Ty Lee they stood next to a beachfront mansion, utterly consumed by raging flames.

"Nonsense, Mai," Azula scoffed. "Those idiots should be grateful I didn't set the mansion alight with all of them still inside it. Ha, look at them run!" she laughed, delighting in the screams of the terrified teenagers, echoing through the dark of night.

"That seems like a reasonable sentiment, not that I care," Mai yawned.

"I don't know what you're complaining about, Mai, this is the first time I'm actually having fun on this vacation," Azula frowned at Mai, then turning towards the other girl. "Besides, I heard Ty Lee complaining earlier that she was freezing. You're all warm and comfy right now, aren't you, Ty Lee?"

"I really am, Azula, thanks so much for thinking about me!" Ty Lee exclaimed happily, stretching out her arms towards the roaring fire that was slowly consuming Chen's mansion.

"Be honest, you only set the mansion on fire because you were envious of all those idiot boys fighting for Ty Lee's attention," Mai chuckled.

"Well, they were incredibly annoying, weren't they, Ty Lee?" Azula gave the other girl an expectant smile. "I mean, you knocked out some of them yourself."

"Yes, they were a bit too much, Azula," Ty Lee obediently agreed with the princess.

"Why don't you just date Ty Lee, then you wouldn't have to be jealous of all those idiots trying to butter her up," Mai smirked. "I mean, just look at her," she pointed at Ty Lee who was blushing fiercely. "She's ready to throw herself at your feet, you only need to whistle."

"Hmm, that would make everything simpler, but Ty Lee's just too easy," Azula shrugged. "Besides, she's smart enough to know that she's not my equal."

"Of course, Azula... you're completely out of my league," Ty Lee bowed her head, though she looked rather devastated. "But then again, so is everyone I know..."

"Now, that's true... maybe I'm destined to ascend to greatness alone, all by myself," Azula shrugged. "Anyway, let's head back... if you're done warming yourself up, Ty Lee?"

"I'm all warm and cozy, thank you for asking, Azula!" Ty Lee beamed at her. Mai made a face at their exchange.

"Maybe father has finally sent his orders to Li and Lo," Azula sighed wistfully as they began to walk away from the burning ruin. "I can't wait to return back to the capital! Being sidelined like this is just so irritating..."

"Yes, let's hope that your father sends news soon, there are only so few estates on Ember Island that you can reduce to a crisp," Mai commented sarcastically.

"Good point, Mai," Azula grinned at her older friend. "That said, I'm quite certain about which estate I'm burning down next... and I'm definitely making sure that those annoying crones are trapped inside."

"Wouldn't your father be upset about that, Azula?" Ty Lee gasped. "He seems to hold them in some regard..."

"Well, he shouldn't send me away on a lengthy vacation then. I mean... he knows what happens when I get bored," Azula shrugged. "But... I suppose I'll let Li and Lo off the hook for now, unless they really annoy me. Anyway, race you back to the estate!" she exclaimed, dashing down the rocky path. Ty Lee immediately set after the princess, a look of adoration on her face as she kept on Azula's heels while allowing the princess to win.

Mai simply walked behind them at her own pace, a brief look of disgust marring her face for a moment before her customary blank expression set back in. "A megalomaniac and an airhead," she sighed to herself. "What a lovely couple those two would make."


	10. One Scam Too Many

After a couple of days of intense flying, the group of four eventually reached the Fire Fountain City on the large Shuhon Island. Setting up their camp high in the hills overlooking the city provided them with an excellent view of the settlement, dominated by its famous Fire Fountain, a grand statue of Fire Lord Ozai, continually emitting a jet of fire. Zuko had frowned and muttered something intelligible under his breath upon seeing it, the statue invoking many unwelcome memories of his father.

Having stayed up through most of the night during their flight, the group had spent the early part of the day resting, but afterwards it was time to explore the city and see what they could do about restoring their supplies. This task was made all the more challenging when they realized that together with their tents and most of their food, the Combustion Man's attack had also made them leave behind all of their remaining money, so they needed to somehow make some quick coin.

As they explored the city, Zuko had pointed out that lately the Fire Fountain City had become nothing more than a glorified gambling den. Exploring farther away from the Fire Fountain and the city center, in the narrow and dark alleys, the group of four came across many a shady dealer, offering them to partake in games of chance. This had inspired Toph to come up with an idea of using her earthbending talents in order to clean out some of the dealers, something that everyone, even Katara, approved of. To the young waterbender it was a much more palatable way of getting what they needed, especially when compared with the idea of stealing supplies from some hapless farmer or street vendor.

Still, despite agreeing to the plan, Katara hadn't been interested to stick around and watch Toph cheat the dealers out of their coin. Katara had left Sokka to watch over their young earthbender friend, while she dragged Zuko away to continue exploring the city, paying particular attention to all the shops and market stalls, making note of places to visit once they had the coin to spend. And speaking of coin, while Toph was more than successful at cheating the gambling dealers at their own game, it hadn't gone without a hitch. It seemed as if neither Toph nor Sokka knew when to stop, getting a little greedy and carried away by their success, Sokka laden with fat purses as Toph cleaned out all the shell game peddlers in one of the dark alleys.

This had led to the obvious outcome, the frustrated dealers accusing Toph of cheating, and a small crowd had formed to teach them a lesson. Fortunately, Sokka was thinking on his feet as he tossed a couple of the coin bags onto the cobbled street, leading to the angry mob becoming distracted, fighting among themselves for coins, allowing Sokka and Toph to safely escape and return to the campsite. When Katara had later learned of what had happened, she was pleased about all the coin Toph had won, but had still chewed them both out for attracting so much attention to themselves, at which point the shouting match between Toph and Katara had become slightly ugly and personal.

Having waited a couple of days for the situation in the city to calm down, Katara eventually took Zuko with her on a shopping trip, warning Sokka and Toph to sit tight and not risk showing their face in the city again, dashing their dreams of what sort of fancy purchases they could make with the coin Toph had cheated out from the dealers. Toph had been very resentful at that, clashing with Katara yet again, but the young waterbender had remained unmoved in her decision, especially with Zuko backing her up.

Now, a couple of hours after parting with Sokka and Toph at the camp, Katara and Zuko found themselves wandering the markets of Fire Fountain City, Zuko already laden with some of the heaviest supplies like the replacement tents, while Katara was carrying heavy bags of food, still looking around for more supplies to purchase.

"Can you believe all the silly things that Sokka wanted to buy with this money?" Katara was still fuming about the recent events and the arguments over the past few days. "A messenger hawk… really?"

"Well... it's not the worst idea, I suppose," Zuko tried, making sure not to disagree with Katara too strongly. She had been rather on the edge as of late, and he definitely didn't want to get on the receiving end of her tongue lashing. "We could use a messenger hawk to coordinate the invasion plans and pass messages between ourselves and your father."

"Oh, that part of it is useful, of course," Katara nodded as they made a beeline towards a vegetable vendor's cart, Zuko sincerely hoping that this would be their last stop on this shopping spree. He was starting to become quite exhausted from carrying the heavy tents, and Katara looked rather weighed down by all her purchases as well. "What I meant was that hawks can be quite vicious, and Sokka already has Momo to take care of. And he's not always doing a great job of it. A hawk _and_ a lemur? Not a chance. I'd just end up looking after one of his pets, probably both of them."

"I suppose that's true," Zuko chuckled, waiting for Katara to quickly finish her haggling with the vegetable merchant, which resulted in another sizable basket for her to carry. "Katara, I think we need to call it a day or else we're not getting all of this back to the camp," he warned her.

"Yes, I was going to say that we should depart," Katara nodded at him. "Anyway, you can't argue that the other idea Sokka had was just plain bad. Why should we buy an expensive Fire Nation atlas when we have the best guide available with us already?" she smiled at him.

"Thanks, Katara," he smiled back at her as they passed through the gates leading away from the marketplace, something on the nearby information board attracting Zuko's attention. "Wait up... you should see this," he said as they both approached the board, looking at one poster in particular.

"Is that... frightening creature in the drawing is supposed to be Toph?" Katara blinked, having examined the poster. "Wanted: The Runaway? Spirits, that's all we needed! I knew they would get us into trouble, Toph can be so immature, and Sokka's not much better!"

"Well, as long as they don't decide to return to the city, we should be safe," Zuko said, then clearing his throat uncomfortably. "Uh... they wouldn't sneak off to return to the city while we're gone, right?"

Katara gave Zuko a worried stare, her eyes widening with fear. "Let's... let's just get back to the camp quickly," she uttered nervously, then casting another glance at the wanted poster. "Should we just leave it standing there?"

"It would look a little suspicious if we removed it in plain sight," Zuko replied. "But I can get rid of it, I think." They quickly walked off, and once they were a reasonable distance away, Zuko turned around, waiting for an opportune moment when nobody was looking before using his firebending. The information post suddenly went up in flames as the pair quickly rushed off, carrying their heavy supplies.

After almost an hour of extremely exhausting climb to reach their campsite up in the hills, Katara and Zuko dropped off their gathered supplies in a predictably empty camp, Sokka and Toph nowhere to be seen. "I'm going to skin them alive once I get my hands on them!" Katara fumed angrily, stomping around the campsite and completely forgetting how exhausted she was.

"Katara?" Zuko asked her. "I'm starting to remember now that the bags of money Toph handed over to you seemed quite a lot smaller than the ones she returned with initially."

"What? Of course!" Katara exclaimed. "They kept some of the money to themselves, and now they're off to the city to spend it! And they'll get caught like the immature fools they are! We need to go after them, now!"

"Wait, Katara," Zuko warned her, placing his hand on her shoulder and forcing her to stop. "We're both really exhausted. We should rest a little before setting off again, if they get into some trouble and need to be rescued, we'll need to be well rested."

She pushed his hand away, appearing frustrated. "No, Zuko, I'm much too angry to rest," she snapped. "I'm heading back to the city immediately. I'd prefer if you came with me, but if you won't, I'll take care of this by myself."

Zuko let out a heavy sigh, looking on as Katara began to walk away from the camp in a determined step. "Wait up, Katara!" he called out, rushing after her. "At least slow down and let us catch some breath as we walk!"

"Fine... I can do that much," Katara conceded, slowing down and allowing Zuko to catch up with her. She then gave him a small smile. "Sorry... my temper has been running high lately, hasn't it? Toph and Sokka can really bring out the worst in me when they act like children."

"I don't mind," Zuko smiled back at her. "Actually... I kind of like it when you get all angry and emotional, launching into a rant."

"Really?" Katara blushed slightly. "That's an odd thing to like. Why would you like that?"

"I think it's because that sort of thing isn't really accepted in the circles I grew up in," Zuko tried his best to explain. "Of course, people still get angry and upset, but they don't express their emotions as openly as you do. They keep them bottled up, until one day they'll creep up on you in a dark corridor and stab you in the back."

"No offense, Zuko, but that sounds pretty horrible," Katara gave him a look full of sympathy.

"Yes, it's probably why I'm exiled and opposing my own family," Zuko nodded at her. "Well, except my uncle. I owe it to myself to rescue him from my father's clutches."

"Soon, Zuko, very soon," Katara smiled at him as they slowly approached the city gates once more. It was there that they both noticed something peculiar, a city guard removing Toph's wanted poster from another information board.

"Why are you taking that off the board?" Zuko quickly asked the guard.

"Some lucky guy brought her in not too long ago," the guard shrugged.

Katara instantly went pale. "What guy?" she demanded. "What did he look like?"

"Huh? Just your average kid," the guard shrugged, looking disinterested. "His skin was a little darker than most... actually a bit like yours, girl. Oh... and he had this really nice sword on his back."

"I... see," Katara managed with a nervous twitch setting into the corner of her eye, Zuko starting to worry that she might pop a vein right there and then.

"Where is this prisoner being kept, good sir?" Zuko politely asked the guard.

"The city prison, by the fountain," the guard replied, then narrowing his eyes at them. "Why are you asking?"

"Well... we had some information about this criminal that we wanted to report, so I'm thinking maybe we could still get a part of the reward," Zuko quickly lied.

"Hah, good luck with that," the guard laughed at them, sounding amused, as Katara and Zuko quickly took their leave, hurrying towards the Fire Fountain.

"What is Sokka playing at?" Katara growled as they walked side by side through the city streets.

"I think I can make a guess," Zuko replied. "Sokka must have noticed the wanted poster and then they probably came up with a plan to make even more money. He's pretending that he's handing her in and then collecting the reward."

"And Toph then uses her bending to escape from her cell, either tearing the stone walls or bending the bars," Katara realized. "Hmm... if that's their plan, it's actually a clever one, I'll admit that. It's just that... this isn't the time or place to take such risks."

"You'll hear no argument from me," Zuko nodded as they reached the Fire Fountain at the center of the city, quickly identifying the prison among the buildings of the inner ring. "So... how should we proceed?" Zuko asked.

"I'm thinking," Katara mused. "I mean... collecting a reward shouldn't take too long, right? I would expect Sokka to be out already, but I don't see him around."

"Maybe he's still inside?" Zuko wondered. "Why don't we go inside and check? We can use the same cover story as with the guard."

"Yes, that's a good idea," Katara nodded. "Let's go in," she said, Zuko opening the doors to the prison and stepping inside, Katara following him. As they cast their eyes on the holding cells at the back of the prison, something immediately struck them as wrong. Toph was locked safely inside a cell that was made entirely out of wood, implying that someone knew of her identity as an earth and metalbender. Even worse, she was not alone in her cell, Sokka was in there with her, looking miserable he gave Katara and Zuko a panicked stare.

"Katara! Watch out, it's a trap!" Sokka exclaimed hurriedly. "The Combustion Man is here!" he pointed to the left, their new and fearsome foe standing there on the doorstep.

Zuko once again tried his best to create a shield of absorbing flames before the Combustion Man's deadly attack had struck them. Even though he was successful, the force of the detonation so close by still threw him and Katara across the room to crash painfully into the wall. Within the small quarters, the explosion also caused damage to Toph and Sokka's cell, as well as knocked their enemy back a few paces, briefly stunning him.

As Sokka tore off a large beam blocking their exit from their cell, creating a large hole through which to escape, Zuko slowly picked himself up from the floor. He rose, aching all over, knowing that he had to do something to keep their enemy occupied. Katara was very slow to rise, blood flowing from a cut on her forehead, and she looked a little woozy on her feet. Sokka was dashing across the room to pick up his confiscated sword, while Toph was still crawling out of the cell and didn't have much to bend with at her disposal.

Zuko decided to go on the offensive instead of shielding the group, since the absorbed explosion would still do considerable backlash in these tight quarters. He needed to buy the others time so that they could all get out on the street, where they would have more to work with. A massive jet of fire leapt from his hands and was about to hit their foe, but he responded with his own attack, nullifying Zuko's attempt. The Combustion Man instantly went on the attack again, trying to catch Zuko before he had recovered, and he most likely would have been successful if Katara hadn't recovered and struck first. Using water from her hip flask, she flung a splash of liquid at the Combustion Man's forehead and then instantly froze it, blocking off his third eye, and leaving him unable to bend for the time being.

"Out! We need to get out of here!" Zuko shouted, pushing Sokka towards the doors, then making sure that Toph was following, finally taking the hand of the still slightly groggy Katara and leading her towards the exit as their foe was busy using his firebending to melt off the block of ice he was currently wearing as a hat. It didn't take him too long, and Zuko and Katara hadn't made more than ten yards from the prison exit, when it exploded behind them, the force of the blast knocking them to the ground yet again, Zuko this time managing to shield Katara with his own body, his back getting pelted by falling rubble.

"Start running, you lot! I'll cover you!" Toph exclaimed confidently. Sokka seemed reluctant to leave the young earthbender to fight their fearsome foe on her own. Meanwhile, Zuko and Katara were still picking themselves up from the ground by the time the Combustion Man reemerged from the partly ruined prison.

He immediately targeted those closest to him, the exiled prince and the young waterbender. Neither of them was in a position to defend themselves, but fortunately, Toph was on the job. Massive thick pillar rose from the ground between her helpless friends and the Combustion Man, blocking off the deadly attack of their foe. It sent the pillar crumbling, but in a stroke of good luck, one of the falling pebbles struck the Combustion Man's third eye, stunning and dazing him. Trying to keep up the pressure, he immediately tried to bend again, but it backfired on him, literally blowing up in his face as their foe was tossed right back inside the ruined prison and didn't emerge again.

"Hurry up! This is our time to disappear!" Sokka shouted, and they all set into a run, Zuko and Katara struggling to keep up with the others, bruised and battered by the Combustion Man, and exhausted from all their physical activities throughout the day. Eventually, they managed to reach their camp without being followed, quickly dismantling everything, piling their supplies on Appa's back and hurriedly setting into flight again, despite it still being early in the evening. The need to get away from Fire Fountain City was far greater than the risk of getting spotted.

A while later, once Katara had managed to heal herself and Zuko to the best of her ability, lying on Appa's back exhausted, Sokka came to sit next to his sister. "Katara?" he asked quietly. "I know what you want to say..."

"I want to say a lot of things, Sokka, but I'm just not going to bother," Katara sighed. "I've wasted too much precious time preaching to all of you already, it's clear that my words are falling on deaf ears. If you're going to learn from all of this, you'll have to do it on your own."

"Alright, Sugar Queen, I'll admit it, what we tried to pull was pretty stupid, okay?" Toph grumbled. "I hope hearing that makes you happy."

"You did save our lives, Toph," Zuko said, patting the younger girl's shoulder. "I won't forget that."

"Yeah, well... I also put you in a position where your lives needed saving," Toph sighed. "Which I think was the point Katara wanted to make... that it didn't need to happen."

"Thank you, Toph," Katara smiled briefly. "I'm glad you understand."

"I understand that as well, sis," Sokka gave his sister an earnest stare. "And there's something else I wanted to bring up with you all. Before Aang... well, before we lost Aang," his voice wavered a little. "We used to be Team Avatar. That meant we kinda went and did the stuff that Aang needed to do at the time, so... it kinda made him our leader in a way, though we probably didn't think of him as such. But since Aang is no longer with us... sure, we still have a schedule and an invasion plan to stick to, but... I'm beginning to feel that we need someone who makes the overall decisions for our group."

"It's a good idea for an adventuring group to have a leader," Zuko nodded in agreement. "Otherwise, things can become very chaotic."

"I thought you always fancied yourself to be our leader, Sokka," Katara gave her brother a surprised stare.

"Well... I kinda hoped that I could be, but current events are telling me that I'm not yet ready," Sokka sighed. "But I know who's ready to call the shots for us all. You are, sis."

"Me?" Katara looked genuinely surprised. "Are you sure? You want me to lead? But you've never listened to me, both you and Toph!"

"Well, that's going to change now, if you're willing to accept leadership," Sokka gave her an encouraging smile. "What about you, Toph?"

"Ugh, you know that I don't deal well with authority figures," Toph frowned. "But if I'm honest... Sugar Queen, you're probably the one who's most mature from all of us. I guess I can go along with that. But don't try to act too much like my parents or else we'll have a problem!" Toph warned Katara.

"I promise to try, Toph," Katara chuckled, then turning to give Zuko a searching stare. "And what about you, Zuko? Does this work for you at all?"

Zuko briefly pondered the question. While he had no doubt that Sokka would one day become a great leader of men, he had to concede that the boy was right, he just wasn't ready yet. And while Zuko felt that he could also be a capable leader for the group, he also knew that as someone who had joined the former Team Avatar only recently, he had no right to harbor aspirations of leadership. Sokka's suggestion to elevate Katara made a lot of sense, she was smart, cautious, practical and level-headed, and he felt that she made for a good choice to take charge of their little group.

"Of course, Katara," he said, reaching out to briefly squeeze her hand. "I will be happy to follow your lead."


	11. Thicker Than Water, pt. 1

"...Nini's house stands empty to this day," Katara spoke in an ominous voice, as they were all huddled by their brightly burning campfire in the middle of a forest which looked particularly creepy during the dead of night. "But sometimes people will see smoke coming up from the chimney. Like little Nini is still trying to get warm..."

Sokka let out a girlish scream, glancing to his left at a stoic looking Zuko, then turning to his right to face an unperturbed looking Toph. Neither of them appeared to be an option for a protective hug, so Sokka settled for the next best thing to calm his frayed nerves, which was to hold Momo tightly pressed against his chest. "I didn't think you actually had a scary story in you, sis," he glared at Katara.

The waterbender was about to reply, when Toph suddenly reared her head with a startled gasp. "Wait, guys? Did you hear that?" she exclaimed, placing her palm against the moss-covered ground. "I just heard people nearby, somewhere underground! And they're... screaming for help!"

Having nearly jumped a couple of feet up in the air, Sokka quickly recovered and scowled at the earthbender. "Pfft, nice try, Toph," he scoffed. "Better luck next time."

"No, I'm serious," Toph shook her head, looking frustrated. "I can definitely hear something. I think there's a large group of people imprisoned somewhere nearby."

Zuko and Katara exchanged stares. "I'm not going to doubt you, Toph," Katara then said decisively, ignoring Sokka's objections. "After all, your senses saved us from the Combustion Man. Do you think you could lead us to where these people are held?"

"I think so... I'm willing to try," Toph said, rising from the ground, the others getting up to follow her. She began to make her way further into the forest, easily picking her way, not caring that the forest was mired in darkness. The Water Tribe siblings chose to stick close to Zuko as he used his firebending to light the path for them all.

"What sort of creepy place did you have us land, Zuko?" Sokka complained as they followed Toph further into the forest, the ground gradually starting to rise.

"It was the closest island to Shuhon," Zuko said. After fleeing the Fire Fountain City in a hurry, they had been flying for more than a day with no breaks, reaching their next destination a couple of hours before nightfall, and just in time before Appa became too exhausted. Under the cover of night, they had set up a camp in the middle of a thick forest, making a campfire so that Katara could do some quick cooking, and after finally enjoying a hot meal, they had decided to pass time telling ghost stories before retiring for the night.

"Anyway, there shouldn't be anything special about this island," Zuko continued. "It's mostly covered by a forest, and I know there's some village nearby, but it's quite small and doesn't appear on most maps."

"Maybe there's some underground Fire Nation prison camp?" Sokka wondered.

"I would have heard of that," Zuko shrugged. "Unless it was built only recently, of course..." he added.

"What are you sensing, Toph?" Katara asked their earthbending friend.

"The voices are becoming louder, I think we're on the right path," Toph replied. "There!" she exclaimed as they emerged from the sparse underbrush, Toph pointing up a steep mountain path. "Let's go!" the young earthbender began running up the path, the others hot on her heels, and soon they arrived at the mouth of a dark and ominous looking mountain cave.

"Is this the place?" Zuko asked. Toph nodded, wasting no time to enter the cave, the others quickly following. After a bit of walking traversing the weaving passage, they suddenly came upon an iron shod wooden door, blocking their path.

"I knew this would come in handy," Toph said, removing the bracelet she had made for herself from the leftover meteorite chunks used to create Sokka's sword. She quickly molded the bracelet into the shape of a key until it became the right fit for the hole, easily opening the door. Shortly afterwards, the passage began to widen, becoming a large cavern, and what they saw contained within made the entire group of four stop and gasp from shock and surprise. There, chained to the walls and pillars of stone, stood at least a dozen of miserable and desperate looking Fire Nation citizens.

"We're saved!" one of the imprisoned men cheered at their would-be saviors. The others, men and women of different ages, all looked hopeful and relieved at seeing them.

"Who imprisoned you here?" Katara asked.

"It was a witch!" one of the elderly prisoners exclaimed.

"A witch?" Sokka blinked. "What do you mean?"

"She seems like a normal old woman," a younger girl of maybe eighteen or nineteen began to explain. "But she can control people. Like... like some dark puppet master!"

"I know who's behind it!" one of the men further at the back shouted. "It's old Hama! The innkeeper! She's the one who's been doing this!" The others all began to murmur in assent.

"Well, we're going to set you free and then you can report her to the village authorities," Sokka spoke reassuringly. "Toph, can you deal with their chains, please?"

"Sure thing, Snoozles," Toph nodded, about to start her work on freeing the prisoners, when Katara stopped her.

"Toph, everyone? A quick word, please," she spoke quickly, dragging the others away from the large cavern, ignoring the perplexed looks of the poor prisoners.

"Uh... what's up, Katara?" Sokka blinked at his sister, looking confused. "Don't tell me we're **not** freeing them... for some weird reason?"

"Let's think about this first, Sokka," Katara said thoughtfully. "Obviously, this Hama is not a witch, there is no such thing as a witch. So, she must be somehow using bending to... control these people? I don't know how that would even work, but it sounds... very powerful?"

"In that case, we should try and learn more about it. We're going to need every little advantage we can get when we face the Fire Army during the invasion," Zuko nodded in agreement, quickly realizing where Katara was going with this.

"I still don't get what you're trying to say, Katara," Sokka frowned, looking disapproving.

"She wants to see if we can learn these bending tricks from old Hama," Toph also correctly guessed Katara's plan. "It's not a bad idea, Snoozles. I don't think it has anything to do with earthbending, though. Or firebending... sorry, Sparky."

"No, you're right, Toph," Zuko nodded. "It's most likely some form of waterbending, in which case... I think Katara is right. Maybe we can somehow gain the trust of this old innkeeper, and then she could teach it to Katara."

"That's crazy!" Sokka exclaimed. "This Hama is clearly evil! We shouldn't be learning anything from her!"

"That's childish, Sokka," Katara frowned. "I don't think any form of bending is evil, it's how you use it. You can use it for evil, like she's doing, imprisoning these poor people, or you can use it for good, like... defeating the Fire Lord, perhaps?"

"Hmm... good point, I guess," Sokka frowned. "I still don't like it, though."

"Your objections are duly noted, Sokka," Katara replied sternly. "But you said you would follow my lead. Have you reconsidered already?"

"Ugh, no... fine, we'll do as you suggest, Katara," Sokka finally acceded. "So, what's your plan? We go and confront this Hama?"

"I think we should be more subtle than that," Zuko suggested. "We could pretend to be travelers, on their way to a festival in the Fire Fountain City, looking to rent a room at her inn. Then we could strike up a conversation with her and try to get her to warm up to us."

"I like that idea, Zuko," Katara smiled approvingly. "Also... maybe it would be best if not all of us went to the inn? Maybe Sokka and Toph should stay behind and look after the prisoners."

"Why do you always want to bring Zuko with you?" Sokka peered suspiciously at his sister. "Maybe I should go with you."

"Well, Zuko is from the Fire Nation, so it just makes sense to have him along when we're talking with other Fire Nation citizens, right?" Katara shrugged. "Also, I was, uh, thinking..." she blushed slightly. "That we could pretend to be a couple. You know, just to make the story more credible!"

"Umm, sure... we can do that..." Zuko replied, also blushing a little.

"Are you sure you still want to go in Zuko's place and pretend that you're my boyfriend, Sokka?" Katara gave her brother a pointed stare.

"Gah! What a horrible thought!" Sokka made a disgusted face. "Fine, I'll stay behind with Toph. How about we go back to the camp and bring some extra food and water for the prisoners, Toph?" he asked, sounding excited about helping the hapless victims. "We just need to be careful about not running into Hama. And we'll also have to explain to the prisoners that we won't be freeing them right away."

"All that sounds good, Snoozles," Toph shrugged. "We shouldn't be in any danger from this creepy old witch sneaking up on us, my feet will sense her a mile away out here."

"Good, then it's settled," Katara said decisively. "Zuko and I will set out for the village immediately. It's about time we met this Hama..."

* * *

It took Katara and Zuko more than an hour to locate the small coastal village and then find Hama's inn on an elevation slightly above the settlement. By the time they found themselves standing on the doorstep of the inn, the hour had turned very late, at least three hours past the midnight. "I hope barging in at such late hour doesn't instantly make her angry with us," Zuko sighed.

"Nothing we can do about that," Katara shrugged, stepping forward to knock on the door. There was no reaction to the first, second or third knock. Only after the fourth knock, did the door finally opened, revealing an ancient grizzled crone on the other side.

"Why are you disturbing old Hama at such late hour, children?" she asked in a rasping voice, sounding rather annoyed. "Shouldn't you be back home with your parents?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Zuko bowed politely. "My girlfriend and I are just passing through on our way to the Fire Fountain City."

"Ah yes, one of those fancy festivals there, I don't know why young people are so eager to go there, it's all one big sham," Hama grumbled.

"I think so too, ma'am, but my boyfriend really loves them," Katara joined the conversation. Curiously, Hama seemed to perk up instantly upon hearing her voice. "Anyway, we were really hoping that you could put us up for the night. Everyone else in the village shut their doors on us..."

"Typical villagers," Hama frowned, looking angry. "I'm not at all surprised. Well... I do have one room left to give out. It's a small one, hope you don't mind a bit of squeezing."

"I'm sure we'll be alright, ma'am," Katara spoke, appearing grateful.

"Yes, thank you so much, ma'am," Zuko added with a polite bow.

"Well, come right in then," Hama said, opening the doors wider for them and allowing them to enter the slightly worn down, but still reasonably maintained dwelling. "And none of this ma'am nonsense, the name is Hama. Call me by it," she grumbled, leading Katara and Zuko up the stairs, towards their small but comfortable looking room.

"Thank you, Hama," Katara replied politely. "By the way, my name is Katara, and this is Zuko," she added, feeling comfortable about using their real names so far out in the Fire Nation backwater.

"Katara, an interesting name, yes," Hama mused to herself, appearing intrigued. "I'll leave you to rest now, children. Hope you'll like your room," she said, unlocking the room and giving Katara the key. "I'll see you in the morning. I'll fix you up with a nice, nurturing breakfast." With that, Hama turned to hobble back downstairs, leaving Zuko and Katara to inspect their room.

"I'll take the floor," Zuko gallantly offered as soon as Hama was out of the earshot, with the doors to their room closed behind her.

"Really? I don't think you need to," Katara shrugged, looking at the single bed in the room. "I mean... the bed is not _**that**_ small. We can sleep side by side and hardly be touching."

"If you're sure," Zuko still looked a little hesitant.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Katara nodded, then letting out a yawn as she kicked off her sandals and slipped into the bed. "It's been a wild day, hasn't it? I'm starting to feel really sleepy."

"I know what you mean," Zuko smiled at her. Before getting into the bed, he took off his long robe and removed his boots, remaining in his baggy trousers and sleeveless shirt. Settling onto the bed, with both of them resting on their backs, their shoulders and hips touched lightly, but otherwise, there was plenty of room for them both. "So... what do you think of old Hama so far? She seemed pretty intrigued by you, didn't she?"

"Yes... which is a good thing, right?" Katara asked, receiving a thoughtful nod from Zuko. "Also, there's something about her that I can't quite put my finger on... not yet. Something familiar..."

"I just hope we haven't gotten ourselves into more trouble than we can handle," Zuko sighed.

"It'll be fine, don't worry," Katara replied, then falling silent. Zuko thought that she had already fallen asleep, but then she surprised him by suddenly letting out an unexpected chuckle.

"What?" Zuko turned to look at her.

"Oh, nothing... just thought of something funny," she blushed a little as she replied, elaborating only a while later. "I just realized that this is the first time I share bed with a boy. It... somehow feels weird that it's you, and at the same time... maybe not so weird. I don't know... I guess I'm not making any sense," she blushed at him again.

"Hmm, I think this is also the first for me," Zuko confessed a moment later, Katara looking at him with great surprise. "What, you thought I've been making girlfriends everywhere I go, or something? I'm not that kind of a guy..."

"Well, I didn't mean necessarily like that, but... I thought you'd be more experienced than me, for sure," Katara smiled.

"I did have a girlfriend back at Capital City before I was exiled, but... I was thirteen and she was twelve, does that really count? Back then I still thought that kissing girls was icky," Zuko shrugged. "I think she was being groomed by her parents to eventually marry me... well, that's not happening."

"Did you like her at all?" Katara asked.

"I'm not sure... I guess Mai was alright," Zuko replied. "She was a little dull, never wanted to do anything. She loved to sit idle all day and order the servants around."

"Not terribly exciting," Katara nodded in agreement. "And the past three years, nothing? All you've done has been trying to find the Avatar?"

"Pretty much," Zuko shrugged. "Oh no, wait... there was this one time my uncle set me up with a date back at Ba Sing Se. She was a really sweet girl, but... well, that would have never worked." Katara nodded in understanding, falling silent again. "So... isn't this where you open up about your own past experiences?" he asked, lightly bumping against her shoulder.

"Nope," Katara shook her head. "Girls don't discuss their exes like that."

Zuko let out a frustrated sigh. "You can be pretty annoying when you want to be, you know that, right?"

"I know," Katara replied smugly. "But I think you like that in a girl."

"Hmm... yes," Zuko said thoughtfully, smiling to himself as he closed his eyes. "Yes, I suppose I do."


	12. Thicker Than Water, pt. 2

When Katara and Zuko emerged downstairs after a good night's sleep, they found themselves alone with Kama, her other patrons either sleeping in or having already departed. The old woman quickly seated them at the kitchen table, bringing up a steaming pot of soup and filling Katara and Zuko's bowls. The familiar aroma of the five-flavor soup immediately reached Katara's nostrils, and her eyes widened in immediate understanding.

"This is delicious, Hama," Katara smiled, having savored a few spoonfuls of the thick dark broth. It tasted almost exactly like she remembered from when Gran-Gran had made it, which was a remarkable achievement, since she doubted Hama had all the right ingredients on hand. "Five-flavor soup, unless I'm mistaken?" she added innocently.

"Ah, so you do remember it," Hama gave her a knowing smile. "Yes, it all makes sense now. Your name, Katara, the accent, and recognizing the soup... you're a Southern Water Tribe girl, I'm sure of it."

"I am," Katara admitted. "But then again... so are you, Hama."

"But I am more than that," Hama replied mysteriously. At the wave of her hand, she bent the soup out of the pot, making it hover over the table. "Would you like some more?"

"I think we're good for now, thank you, Hama," Katara smiled, using her own bending to send the soup right back into the pot.

"And a waterbender, too," Hama gave Katara a fond stare. "I was the last waterbender of my generation among the Southern Tribes, before the Fire Nation raid captured me as well. I'm glad that someone else is continuing our traditions."

"That must be why I felt such instant kinship with you, Hama," Katara told the old woman.

"I agree, child," Hama smiled softly at her. "I never thought I'd meet another Southern waterbender. I'd like to teach you what I know, so that you can carry on the Southern tradition when I'm gone."

"It would be an honor," Katara bowed. She stole a quick glance at Zuko, and he gave her a reassuring nod, having carefully listened to their conversation. "When can we begin, Hama?" she asked eagerly.

"We can go right away," Hama replied. "There's a place further up the mountains, well away from the village. They must not see what I am truly capable of."

"Of course," Katara nodded in understanding. "Can Zuko accompany us?" she asked hopefully.

"I am... hesitant to reveal my secrets in the presence of your Fire Nation boyfriend, Katara," Hama frowned slightly. "No offense, young man."

"None taken," Zuko bowed his head lightly. "If you wish, I will stay behind, but you should know that I bear no loyalty to Fire Lord Ozai and his regime. In fact, Katara and I are looking for every opportunity to undermine him."

"Ah, to hear such words pleases my ears," Hama smiled. "Very well, you may come." She seemed to think of something. "Hmm, in fact... you may prove useful, after all..."

Half an hour later, they were walking along a rocky mountain path, Hama and Katara at the front, Zuko lingering a little behind them. "Growing up at the South Pole, waterbenders are at home, surrounded by snow, the ice and seas. But as you've probably noticed on your travels, that isn't the case wherever you go."

"I know what you mean," Katara nodded, instantly recalling that moment in the Crystal Catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se, when she hadn't been able to do anything in those dry caverns, there hadn't been a drop of moisture. If only she had access to some water... maybe Aang would still be with them today. "I feel so helpless on those occasions, like there's nothing I can do!"

"That's why you have to learn to control water wherever it exists," Hama lectured as they came to a halt. "Did you know that you could pull water out of thin air?" Hama focused on her surroundings, weaving her hands, and globules of water slowly began to form around her fingertips. She then froze the collected water, creating sharp needlelike projectiles which she released with a wave of her hand, sending all five ice needles to penetrate the bark of a nearby tree. "All you need to do is to keep an open mind, Katara," she turned towards her excited looking student. "There's water in places you've never thought about."

"May I try?" Katara asked hopefully. Hama nodded, observing her student with great interest. Katara closed her eyes and began to feel around for a source to use for her bending, trying to focus on the very air that surrounded them. She had never thought to search for water there, but now that she was making a concerted effort to locate it, she found it quite easy, feeling moisture starting to collect around her fingers as she worked through the familiar forms of bending. Soon enough, she had collected enough water to repeat Hama's trick, sending five ice needles to strike the nearby tree.

"Beautifully done, Katara," Hama looked greatly pleased and impressed. "I can immediately see that you are very talented. But we have more lessons to learn, so let's move on."

After another bit of climbing, the small group of three arrived at a tranquil mountain meadow, filled with tight clusters of blooming red flowers. "Oh, these flowers are so beautiful!" Katara gasped.

"Those are fire lilies," Zuko remarked with a conflicted look on his face. "They were... my mother's favorite flowers. They only bloom for a few weeks every year."

"That's right, young man," Hama nodded softly. "They're one of my favorite things about living in the Fire Nation. And like all plants, and all living things, they're filled with water."

"That reminds me of our meeting with a waterbender who lived in a swamp, and could control vines by bending the water inside them," Katara replied, remembering the strange inhabitants of the Foggy Swamp.

"Ah, but you can take it even further than that," Hama smiled enigmatically. She whirled around, draining the flowers surrounding them from all of their water, leaving behind only desiccated husks. Katara marveled at how much water Hama was able to extract from these simple plants, the old woman then launching several sharp shards of ice at a nearby boulder, taking off several solid slices with her attack.

"That was incredible!" Katara exclaimed, looking impressed.

"Indeed," Hama nodded. "Now, you try it."

"Very well," Katara spoke with determination, readying herself. She then glanced at the wide circle of wilted, dead flowers. "It's a shame about the lilies," she sighed, looking at Zuko, realizing that they were important to him.

"We can't afford any sentimentality, Katara," Zuko gave her an encouraging smile. "You know that better than anyone."

"Listen to your boyfriend, Katara," Hama smiled. "When you're a waterbender in a strange land, you do what you must to survive. Now go, give it a try."

Katara once again tried to feel for water in places she had never thought to search before, namely in the plants all around them. It was very easy to sense it, now that she knew what she was looking for. She repeated Hama's move without the slightest hitch, taking off a few more slices from the giant boulder nearby.

"You were born to do this, Katara, I can see that clearly," Hama said approvingly. "Let's move on, there is more climbing to be done, and then one final lesson. But to do so, we will need to wait for the nightfall."

"Is it something that can only be done in moonlight?" Katara wondered as they resumed climbing.

"Indeed, and tonight we will have not just any moonlight, Katara, but the moonlight of a full moon," Hama explained. "My power must be at its utmost, for I will attempt to teach you the ultimate technique of waterbending."

"I am so curious, Hama!" Katara exclaimed, even if she knew that it probably had something to do with the way Hama had been able to control those Fire Nation citizens whom she was keeping imprisoned in the mountain cave. "Can it only be used during full moon?" she asked.

"That's how it is for me, child," Hama looked at her. "Perhaps for someone more talented, they might be able to use this technique at will anytime they wished. And spirits know, you are the most talented waterbender I have ever laid my eyes on, Katara."

"That is very kind of you to say," Katara smiled at the old woman.

After a lengthy climb which lasted at least a couple of hours, Hama having to take the steeper bits slow, the old woman finally stopped. "This is where we'll stop and wait for the nightfall," she instructed them. "We have plenty of food with us, so you won't starve," she pointed at the basket Zuko had been forced to carry. "Now, I'll leave you on your own for a few hours, as I have some matters to attend to nearby. I trust that two young people in love will find ways to pass the time." Katara and Zuko both blushed deeply at the suggestion as Hama left them alone in the elevated forest clearing.

"Where do you think she went?" Katara wondered.

"To check on the prisoners in the cavern, I'm pretty sure," Zuko replied.

"Well," Katara let out a sigh. "Let's just hope Toph and Sokka are careful and Hama won't sense any foul play..."

* * *

When Hama returned several hours later, she appeared to act the same as before, allowing Zuko and Katara to breathe easily once again. Still, being stuck high up the mountainside with this dangerous old woman, was not exactly an experience either of them relished. The nightfall could not come fast enough, and as the full moon finally appeared in the sky, large and glowing, Hama rose from the log she had been sitting on, stretching her creaking old limbs as she readied herself.

"Can you feel the power that the full moon brings, Katara?" she smiled at the other waterbender, Hama somehow looking younger and a good foot taller than before. "For generations, it has blessed waterbenders with its glow, allowing us to do incredible things." She took a deep breath, looking at the moon above. "Yes... I've never felt more alive..."

Katara knew the feeling very well. The empowering energies of the full moon buzzed in her veins, echoed in her temples and made her dizzy with the power crackling at her fingertips. She felt like she could move mountains with a flick of her wrist. The sensation was deeply intoxicating as she stood in the clearing, facing Hama.

"What I'm about to show you, I discovered in that wretched Fire Nation prison they brought me to after I had been captured in a raid," Hama began to speak. "The guards were always careful to keep any water away from us. They pumped in dry air and had us suspended away from the ground before giving us any water. They would bind our hands and feet so that we couldn't bend. Any sign of trouble was met with cruel retribution. And yet... each month I felt the full moon enriching me with its energies. There had to be something I could do to escape."

"And you were successful in escaping," Katara said when Hama took a small pause from her story. "Tell me what you did, Hama."

"I simply realized that where there is life, there is water," Hama replied simply. "The rats that scurried across the floor of my cage were nothing but skins filled with liquid. And so, I passed years, developing the skill that would lead to my escape. Controlling the water in another body, Katara... otherwise known as... bloodbending."

Katara's eyes widened as she took an involuntary step back. She couldn't remember where she had heard this technique mentioned, but it was done with such disgust and pure horror, that it had stuck with her for years. Even Zuko looked disturbed as he stood at the edge of the clearing, uncertain of what to do.

"This is a technique that allows you to enforce your own will over other living bodies," Hama continued to explain. "Once I had mastered the rats, I was ready for the men." A grim smile settled on her lips as she took obvious pleasure from her memories. "During the next full moon, I walked free for the first time in decades, my cell unlocked by the very guards assigned to keep me in. Once you perfect this technique, Katara, you can control anything... or anyone."

Katara's initial reaction was genuine disgust at the very idea of reaching inside someone and controlling them, as she took another step back. She knew that she had suggested the plan with the idea of learning everything that Hama could teach her, but now that she knew the exact details of what it was, Katara could not help feeling conflicted, even if she knew that bloodbending would give her immense power and potential edge against their enemies in the upcoming battles.

"I can sense you are conflicted, Katara, but remember that this is not a choice for you to make," Hama spoke, sensing her hesitation. "This power exists and will continue to exist whether you choose to embrace it or not. And it is your duty to use the gifts you've been given to win this war."

"Katara?" Zuko called out to her. "I know this might feel very questionable, but... this is what you wanted, isn't it? This will make you so much more powerful."

"Katara, they tried to wipe us out!" Hama exclaimed passionately. "Our entire culture!"

"I know! They took my mother!" Katara cried back, tears spilling out across her cheeks. "And they took the Avatar from us! All hope is lost, unless... unless I do something."

"Then you understand what I'm talking about," Hama nodded in satisfaction. "We're the last waterbenders of the Southern Tribe! We have to fight these people wherever we can, wherever they are, with any means necessary!"

"You are right, Hama," Katara let out a sigh, lowering her head in acceptance.

"Then you are ready to learn?" Hama asked, receiving a nod in response. "Good. Now watch carefully. It's a good thing that you brought your boyfriend with us, Katara, I knew he would prove useful. Don't worry, this won't hurt too much," she grinned, starting to move her hands. As if on cue, Zuko let out a pained grunt as his limbs began to move on their own accord, robbing him of control over his own body.

"What are you doing?" Katara called out, genuinely distressed. "Let him go!"

"Would you rather I demonstrated bloodbending on you, Katara?" Hama replied, sounding quite pleased. "The only way you will learn is by observing!"

"Katara... she... she's right..." Zuko grunted, clearly in terrible pain as Hama paraded him all around the clearing, sometimes stretching his limbs into opposite directions or lifting him off the ground and tossing him about like a rag doll.

"That's enough, Hama! I've got it, already!" Katara finally cried out, tears in her eyes from having watched Zuko suffering for what felt like minutes turning into hours. As the exiled prince collapsed on the grass, finally released from Hama's grasp, Katara raced towards him, kneeling next to Zuko and trying to heal him, but finding no injuries to mend.

"I'll be alright, Katara, I'm not hurt," Zuko tried to smile at her reassuringly as he gingerly rose from the ground. "It was a terrible feeling... it's like all my insides were twisted up and trying to escape... but once I was released from the hold, the pain was instantly gone."

"That's not much of a consolation," Katara glared darkly at Hama, as she also rose from the ground and returned to face the old woman. "You took too much delight in tormenting Zuko!" she exclaimed accusingly.

"Bah, he's Fire Nation anyway," Hama shrugged. "Traitor or not, you should do better than associate with one of _them_ , Katara. Now repeat what you just watched me do!" she called out, pointing at Zuko.

Katara slowly turned to face the exiled prince. He was still breathing heavily from having been tortured by Hama's bloodbending, but even so he gave Katara an encouraging smile and a nod of the head. "Go for it, Katara... I can take it," he spoke bravely.

The young waterbender closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She reached out with her senses, trying to feel sources of water nearby, focusing on the warmth emanating from the living bodies around her. It didn't take Katara long until she was able to reach out and feel the blood circulating inside of Zuko, and she was quite certain that she would not need the augmentation of the full moon to develop these senses, now that she knew what she was looking for. The more she searched within him, the clearer the sense of where to tug and pull to take control of his body became.

"What are you waiting for, Katara?" Hama cried at her. "Do it!"

"As you wish!" Katara shouted back, reaching out with her bending and seizing control of the living body near her.

"What... what are you... doing?" Hama gasped as the body that Katara had chosen to control was not Zuko's, but instead hers. "Unhand me... ungrateful... fool!"

"Why would I choose to hurt Zuko, when I have another target for practice, one who deserves it so much more," Katara spat angrily, sending Hama sprinting across the clearing and guiding her to crash into a tree trunk, then pulling her battered body back up to her feet, lifting the old crone off the ground and flying her around in circles. "You know... at one point, I actually thought that you might make a good ally to aid us in our invasion plan of the Fire Nation," Katara spoke while at the same effortlessly keeping the struggling Hama in a tight bloodbending grip. "But now I'm realizing that you are completely crazy and unstable. You possess such a gift, but you used it to abduct and imprison helpless villagers? You are vile and pathetic, Hama!"

"You will... regret this..." Hama was starting to foam at the mouth.

"And you will **not** live to regret your sins," Katara spoke firmly. "You are wicked and irredeemable. I thank you for giving me this gift, but... I must make sure that someone as wretched as you can't continue to abuse it." Katara intensified her grip on Hama, sending her body spinning one way, while turning her head in the opposite direction. There was a sharp sound of cracking bone as Hama's neck was snapped cleanly and she crumpled to the ground lifeless.

"You killed her," Zuko observed impassively as he came to stand next to Katara, the girl still breathing rapidly from the rush of the energy of full moon.

"You disapprove?" she turned to look at him.

"No, why?" Zuko shrugged. "She was horrible. I'm glad she's gone, and the villagers will rejoice as well. Still... the way you did it was... terrifying."

"Oh?" Katara gave him a worried look. "Do I... terrify you, Zuko?"

"No, Katara," Zuko smiled at her. "She told you to bloodbend me and you wouldn't. I trust you to use this technique responsibly."

"And I will, Zuko, I promise," Katara smiled back at him. "It is now reserved specifically for one target. The Fire Lord."

"My father is very powerful, but I don't know if he expects this from us," Zuko nodded in agreement. "If we can get you close to him, we might stand a chance, Katara. You could be our secret weapon to defeat the Fire Lord."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Zuko," Katara smiled. "But if it does work against the Fire Lord, then all of this," she pointed at Hama's still corpse. "Would have been well worth it."


	13. Countdown to the Eclipse

Despite all the unplanned setbacks and distractions, the former Team Avatar still arrived four days ahead of schedule at their rendezvous point of the invasion, a small and well concealed island next to the Black Cliffs. With time to spare, everyone immersed themselves in preparations for the coming battle. Zuko, Katara and Toph spent many hours fine tuning their bending, either on their own, or in sparring matches. Sokka focused on his swordplay, often sparring with Zuko, while spending the rest of his time by reviewing the invasion plans, based upon Zuko's detailed descriptions of the Fire Nation defenses and finding plenty of room for improvement.

The news of Katara's mastery of bloodbending were met with different reactions from Toph and Sokka. Toph was very excited about the whole thing, failing to pay heed to any moral considerations and constantly bugging Katara to demonstrate her new technique, something she was very reluctant to do for no good reason. As for Sokka, Katara's brother was highly disapproving of her new abilities, stating that the whole affair with Hama had been a mistake and that learning from such a rotten source would bring nothing but misfortune. Katara had listened to Sokka's words in silence, clearly disagreeing and maintaining her belief that it could still be used for the greater good such as defeating the Fire Lord, but the waterbender was not keen to start an argument over it all.

On the afternoon of their second day on the small island, Zuko found himself meditating in a small clearing a stone's throw away from their campsite, smiling as he allowed the brightly burning sun to warm his face, swiftly restoring his energy, expended in the morning sparring session with Toph. The young earthbender was a very tough sparring partner, possessing great power and capable of accidentally causing very serious injuries, so he always had to be on his toes around her, as Toph sometimes became a little too competitive and forgot that she was flinging around chunks of stone, capable of cracking skulls like eggshells.

Having spent a while meditating, Zuko slowly began to feel like was not alone in the small clearing. He opened his eyes, turning to look behind him and then spotting Katara standing at the edge of the clearing, fidgeting nervously. He rose, walking up to her and giving the young waterbender an inquiring look. "Hey, Katara," he spoke at her. "Did you want to start early? I thought we had agreed to spar later in the evening."

"No, I... I actually came here for something else," she admitted, looking a little uncomfortable.

When she wouldn't explain further beyond that, Zuko let out a sigh. "Are you going to make me guess what's eating you?" he asked in a soft voice. "It would be a lot easier if you came out and told me yourself."

"Believe me, there's nothing easy about this, Zuko," she said solemnly, pointedly looking away. "I've been... thinking about the need to practice my bloodbending more, before we face your father. And in particular, I need to know how powerful it is without the full moon... I don't believe that there will be a full moon during the eclipse."

"No, I don't think that's possible," Zuko smiled and shook his head.

"Exactly, so..." Katara muttered. "I've been wandering the island, looking for... targets to practice on. I found some koala sheep..." she shuddered, looking greatly disturbed. "I couldn't do it, Zuko, I just couldn't... torturing innocent animals like that? Maybe your father or Azula could do that, but not me."

"Azula did always enjoy tormenting those poor turtle ducks," Zuko frowned disapprovingly.

"And there are no Fire Nation soldiers nearby, they would make acceptable targets," Katara let out a sigh.

"That doesn't change the fact that it's imperative that you practice before the invasion," Zuko spoke solemnly. "What you need is a volunteer. I offer myself."

Katara looked at him, her eyes wide. "Are you sure?" she gasped. "I... did come here with the intent to ask you, but... I hated myself for even thinking about it."

"Don't hate yourself, Katara," Zuko placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "I understand the importance of it all. I'll be glad to help, because I believe the outcome will be well worth it." She still seemed to hesitate. "I'm sure of this, Katara. Let's do it," he smiled at her, walking away and standing in the middle of the clearing, readying himself. "Whenever you're ready."

"I'm sorry, Zuko," she gave him a pensive smile, readying to use her bloodbending. "I'll make sure to make it up to you somehow, afterwards." Zuko was still wondering what she might have meant by that, when Katara spoke up again. "I'll start really easy, alright? I'll just see if I can even assume direct control to begin with." She entered her stance, trying to attune her senses to all the many sources of water surrounding her and then focusing on one of them in particular, not encountering any difficulties in singling out a human body among the other sources, latching on to the blood in Zuko's veins, effortlessly taking control of him for the briefest of moments, then releasing him again.

"This works just fine without the full moon," Katara nodded to herself. "How did it feel, Zuko?" she asked him.

"I'd be lying if I said it felt nice," Zuko replied. "It felt pretty much like when Hama took control of my body."

"I see," Katara nodded. "I need to know how strong the control is without the full moon. Could we try that?" Zuko gave her a firm nod. "I'm not going to make you move around or anything. I'll just try to maintain my grip, and I want you to try and break free of my hold, alright?" Zuko gave another nod, and Katara effortlessly took control of his body yet again. He began to struggle against her will, trying to regain control over his own body, and at first it seemed hopeless, but then he thought of a new approach and began to focus his efforts on not his entire body, but merely his right arm. Soon enough, he regained control over it and used it to throw a jab of fire in her general direction, forcing Katara to break her hold on him.

"Ah, I see what you did there!" Katara looked very pleased. "That's exactly what I wanted to learn! Can we try that again? I want to see if I can counter that." Zuko felt a little exhausted, but understanding the importance of Katara's training, gave another nod. Soon enough he found himself desperately struggling against her blood grip once again, trying to free his arm, but this time Katara was easily countering his efforts, increasing her control over the particular body part that he was trying to free. There would be no breaking free from her control now, he could not manage to do so in all the following attempts, feeling Katara's mastery of manipulating his body growing with every try. He would have gladly endured a few more attempts, but after one particularly lengthy struggle against her grip, his body decided that it had had enough and Zuko slumped heavily onto the grass, accompanied by Katara's cry of dismay.

She was at his side immediately, kneeling as tears began to form in her eyes and she swiftly attempted to heal him, only to discover that there was no physical harm done to his body. He was simply drained and exhausted by the effort. "I'm so sorry, Zuko... this was a terrible idea and I pushed you way too hard," she muttered tearfully.

"No, on the contrary, Katara, this was a great idea," he tried to smile, lying on his back in the grass and looking up at her. "I feel like you made so much progress even in this short time."

"Yes... yes, I think I did, but still..." she looked deeply conflicted. "I'm sorry. I just... hate causing you pain, Zuko. Maybe... maybe I can make it a little better," Katara blushed before she quickly leaned in and pressed her lips softly against his cheek.

"That, uh... that does make it feel better, yes," Zuko blushed, smiling at her.

"I'm glad, but... I somehow feel like it's not enough," Katara smiled demurely. She leaned in towards him again, but this time she didn't go for the cheek. Instead, Katara allowed their lips to meet in a slightly messy and awkward, but still very much a proper and far more serious kiss that left them both gasping for air. Red in the face, Katara plopped onto the grass, settling in on her back next to him, as they simply lay there, watching the clouds above, neither of them sure of what to say, or if there even was anything that needed to be said.

* * *

Azula sat at her father's right hand, feelings of frustration slowly mounting in her chest. Ever since the beginning of this council meeting which Ozai had asked her to attend, she had struggled to get a word in, and when she had, the ancient generals and ministers covering at her father's feet had scowled darkly at her, some even daring to cut her off and dismiss her entirely. Worse of all, Ozai hadn't reprimanded them for doing so, allowing these old farts to treat his daughter like she was nothing but a silly, immature girl. And what grated at Azula the most was that topic of the meeting was how to counter the upcoming invasion of the Fire Nation... the invasion, the plans of which she had discovered, and without her aid, these useless old men would not even know that such an invasion was being prepared.

"Let us summarize our plan once more," Fire Lord Ozai spoke in an imperious voice. "Minister, you have the floor," he urged his Minister of War to speak up.

"Yes, thank you, Lord Ozai," the minister bowed, starting to explain. "Our plan is to draw the attacking force in by using delaying tactics, while keeping most of our forces in reserve. Then, once the eclipse has passed, we will unleash the entire might of the Fire Nation's military, trapping the surviving invaders and cutting them down to the last."

"Do we know how they plan to breach the Great Gates of Azulon?" one of the generals asked. "Or the sea walls of the First Lord's Harbor, for that matter?"

The advisors looked at each other in confusion as Azula gave a pointed yawn. "They have Zuzu providing details about our defenses, of course they will have a plan to breach both the gate and the sea walls," she snorted. "Our enemy might be desperate and small in numbers, but they're not stupid."

"Thank you for this brilliant insight, Princess Azula," the Minister of War mocked her before continuing. "As I was saying, our resistance at the Great Gates of Azulon will be minimal. We don't want to slow them down so far out. The Royal Plaza is an excellent location where to bog down an enemy force. We will be able to pin them there for a considerable time, my Lord."

"But we don't plan to prevent them from reaching the Caldera City," Ozai remarked.

"They should never make that far, my Lord," the Minister of War replied. "We will commit enough troops to the defense of the Royal Plaza to make sure that even if they reach the Royal Palace, there will not be enough time until the end of the eclipse for them to do anything. And the deeper in enemy territory they will get stuck, the easier it will be for us to capture them all once we unleash our brand-new Fire Nation air force."

"This seems like an unnecessary risky plan," another of the ministers argued. "Why not just commit more troops to the harbor to destroy them then and there?"

"It would lead to massive losses on our side once the eclipse inevitably occurs," the Minister of War explained patiently. "Unless we spread our forces out and fight a delaying action, it could be difficult to then defend the palace if they break through during the eclipse."

"And what if they break through earlier than you are predicting?" the other minister argued still. "I still think it is too great and unnecessary risk for the Fire Lord to remain at the capital. My Lord, you would be much safer elsewhere," he turned to bow at Ozai. "Our impeding victory in this war does not need to be jeopardized." There were many nods of approval among the old generals and ministers in the room, most of them agreeing with the suggestion.

Azula could not stand their pathetic cowardice any longer. She rose from her seat and glowered at them all, then turning towards her father. "I cannot believe that you would entertain their useless counsel, father," she spoke with fire burning in her eyes. "To crawl away like a cowardly worm is surely beyond the Fire Lord!"

"Have some respect, girl!" the Minister of War admonished her. "We will all be without our bending during the eclipse and you will be no exception, princess, nor will be the Fire Lord."

"Exactly, and why do you think I brought three dozen of the best Dai Li agents with me from Ba Sing Se?" Azula snapped at the befuddled minister. "We don't have to live with the shame of fleeing the palace like cowards, father. My earthbenders will ensure our safety. I will vouch for their skill and loyalty."

"Hmm... you show remarkable foresight, daughter," after a moment of thought, Ozai nodded at her approvingly. He then gave a scornful look aimed at his advisors, and a particularly withering glare towards the Minister of War. "It seems like you all could learn a thing or two from my daughter. I will do as she recommends. We will be staying in the palace's underground bunker. No pathetic invasions will force me to abandon my seat of power, regardless if these invaders are assisted by my former son."

"I could not agree more, father," Azula nodded firmly, clenching her fist. "I can't wait to see Zuzu's face when he walks straight into our trap!"

"Our wrath shall be great, indeed," Ozai smiled at his daughter. "Since you have proven your worth, Azula, I ask for your opinion on the rest of our defense plan. Have you any suggestions?"

"Honestly?" Azula shrugged her shoulders. "I actually like it. Lure them further into the city, then trap and encircle them. The invasion and the last notable resistance of the other nations, wiped out in one brilliant stroke. After the eclipse, they will sing hymns about our... your great victory, father."

"Very well," Ozai nodded, frowning a little at Azula's slip. "You are all dismissed. Go and put our plans into motion, and know that I will personally inspect every detail on the day of the eclipse. Like my daughter wisely warned us... our enemy might be small in numbers, but they are cunning and desperate. Nothing can be left to chance."

* * *

"Whoa, that was excellent..." Sokka groaned, lying on his back near the fire at their island campsite. "Katara, I have to say, you did an amazing job grilling that fish," he said, rubbing his bulging belly.

"I think we should thank you first for catching said fish," Katara chuckled. She was also lying on the grass, feeling extremely full. "And Zuko was of great help, actually. He seems to be a true master of spices."

"I'm glad you all enjoyed it," Zuko smiled, feeling very content. "Since this is our last night here, I thought we could do with a fitting meal."

"Awesome job, Sparky, and the rest of you as well, I guess," Toph grinned, then letting out a thundering burp, the kind that would be expected from the Hippo or the Boulder, not from a tiny twelve-year old girl. "I just hope that invasion force arrives at all, or else this might not be our last night here."

"Father will be here, never doubt that, Toph," Sokka said confidently. "He's never let me down before, and he won't do so now." Katara looked like she was going to comment on that, but then decided not to erode Sokka's confidence in their father.

"Hope so, I would hate to have made it this far only for the invasion to be called off at the last moment," Toph shrugged. "Even if many probably won't see the day after the eclipse."

"That doesn't bother you, Toph?" Zuko asked kindly.

"Eh," the young earthbender shrugged. "Whichever way you look at it, it needs to be done. And whenever I think if there was anything else I'd rather be doing than be here with you lot, I just can't think of anything. I guess I just like the idea of cracking some Fire Nation skulls too much."

"Anyone ever tell you that you're crazy, Toph?" Sokka chuckled. "But we love you anyway. And you're right... we don't really have a choice, do we? This needs to be done. Of course, I'm afraid for myself, for my sister, for the rest of you, for my father and the rest of the tribe. But... we can't let that stop us, right? We have to believe that it will be enough."

"Well said, Sokka," Katara smiled as dark of the night began to envelop their cozy campsite. "Ever since Ba Sing Se, I have never really felt fear about what we have to do. The need to avenge Aang's death burns so strong in me that the dangers involved in what we're about to attempt, they just don't mean anything to me. I need to do this. I can't imagine not doing it. In fact, even if the invasion force fails to arrive tomorrow, I would still argue to push forward on our own, try to infiltrate the Fire Nation capital and take out the Fire Lord on our own."

"That would be beyond suicidal," Zuko shook his head in disbelief. "But I understand what you're saying, Katara. I feel the same way about my uncle. I won't stop until I see him rescued from my father's clutches. I will try and try again if necessary, while I still draw breath. But I'll also try to make sure that we all come out of this in one piece."

"I'm glad you said that, Zuko," Sokka sighed, sounding a little concerned. "We're there as a united invasion force, we all need to remember that. If we all run off to pursue our own personal quests of revenge, the whole invasion plan might collapse. I hope that's clear to everyone."

"Crystal clear, Commander Sokka," Katara gave her brother a pointed stare.

"Glad to hear it," Sokka said, letting out a big yawn. "Anyway, we all should get a good night's rest before the big day tomorrow. Guess I'll lead by example... good night everyone. Try not to stay up too late," he added, dragging his bloated tummy into his tent nearby. Two minutes later, loud snoring could be heard from Sokka's tent.

"Hmm, that actually does sound inspirational," Toph chuckled, also letting out a yawn as she walked off to her tent, then turning towards Katara and Zuko, still lounging by the campfire. "Remember what Sokka said, lovebirds, no staying up late!" she added before disappearing inside her tent.

Zuko continued to rest on his back, staring at the stars in the darkening sky above, feeling too lazy to move. He felt the corners of his mouth tugging into a smile as he felt Katara shuffling closer to him. "Zuko?" she asked quietly.

"What is it, Katara?" he replied.

"I'll be honest... I'm not as fearless as I made it sound," she admitted quietly.

"Nor am I," Zuko nodded. "I don't really fear for my own sake, though. But the three of you have accepted me, and you have showed me the meaning of something I hadn't known before, the beauty of friendship. So, I mostly fear for the sake of my new friends. It would be so hard if something were to happen to any of you... especially to you, Katara."

"I'm glad to hear it, Zuko, because I feel the same way," Katara smiled. "Zuko?" she asked again a brief while later.

"Yes?" he gave her a searching stare.

"Can I... can I ask you something?" she stammered, blush creeping into her cheeks. "While I still have the courage..."

"You can ask me anything, Katara," Zuko smiled at her, rising from the grass to look her in the eyes.

She blushed even more fiercely before managing to get the words out. "Could I... spend the night in your tent?"

Zuko felt his eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. "Katara! But you're only four... uh, I mean, fifteen!" he gasped in shock.

"I... I didn't mean it like **that** , silly!" Katara was completely red in the face by now. "You have a very dirty mind to assume that was what I meant! And even if I had for some reason implied **that** , I don't think that your tent is exactly soundproof!"

"Uh... no, I don't imagine it is," by now Zuko was feeling extremely warm from this intensely awkward conversation. "So… what exactly are we talking about? I'm a little confused…"

"We both... or one of us could be dead by the next nightfall," Katara spoke grimly. "All I want before that happens is to be kissed and held through the night. Do you... do you think we could do that?"

"Oh, Katara," Zuko sighed, pulling her towards him and surprising her with a gentle kiss on the lips. "If this is to be our last night, then I would love nothing more than to kiss and hold you through the night," he said, leading her towards his tent.


	14. Great Gates of Azulon

"Katara? Katara, where are you?" Sokka called out anxiously, standing by his sister's tent. Too impatient to wait any longer, he braced himself for the worst before pulling the tent flap aside and looking inside, blinking when he realized that Katara's tent was empty. "Spirits, where is she? Hmm," Sokka scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe Zuko will know," he finally decided, walking up to Zuko's tent and peering inside. "Hey, Zuko... whoa!" Sokka's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he was confronted with the sight of his sister resting in the crook of Zuko's shoulder, her arm draped across the exiled prince's chest.

"What's with all the racket, Sokka?" Katara yawned sleepily, blinking the remaining sleep out of her eyes as she reared her head.

Sokka had gone temporarily mute from the shock, capable of only painting his finger accusingly at her and Zuko in turn. "You! Zuko!" he somehow managed.

"What's gotten into him?" Katara wondered, clearly taking pleasure in her brother's discomfort. She then leaned closer to Zuko and kissed him on the cheek. "Good morning, by the way."

"Good morning," Zuko smiled at her. "Did you sleep well?"

"I guess you really want to explain yourself to dad, yes?" Sokka gasped. "Well, I'll leave you to do that, then. Should be fun to watch."

"Don't worry, Sokka, father won't be here for a while yet," Katara grinned at her brother, looking surprised when Sokka shook his head.

"You don't get it, Katara, they're here already!" Sokka exclaimed. "Dad is about to come ashore!"

"Oh!" Katara blinked, then rising in one smooth motion and quickly fleeing back to her tent. Having smoothened out her hair and adjusted her slightly rumpled clothing, she emerged soon after, looking perfectly presentable.

Sokka had not been lying, the invasion force had just arrived and Toph was in the process of earthbending comfortable docks for the ships to disembark. The fleet was led by the same Fire Nation cruiser they had hijacked, accompanied by four Water Tribe ships, but there were much more people aboard now, reinforcements from both Water Tribes, some Earth Kingdom volunteers, and their old acquaintances that Sokka had called upon.

"You made it, dad!" Sokka shouted, rushing past his sister as he ran towards Chieftain Hakoda, coming down the ramp from the Fire Nation cruiser, stepping onto the dock. Sokka immediately threw himself at his father as the two embraced. Katara slowly walked up to them, slightly more reserved, but she joined the family group hug nevertheless.

"It's so good to see you again, children," Hakoda smiled warmly at them both.

"Were you able to link up with everyone as planned?" Sokka asked excitedly.

"I was, yes," Hakoda nodded. "But I'm a little concerned about some of them," he added, glancing at the waterbenders from the Foggy Swamp clan, just coming ashore behind them, wearing their dubious garbs made from tree bark and leaves. "They aren't exactly the warrior types..."

"I just wish they would wear pants," Bato remarked, averting his eyes and sighing as the swamp tribesmen walked past them.

"Details, details," Sokka shrugged off their concerns. "Remember, dad, we need all the waterbenders we can get for that one particular stage of our plan."

"Very true, Sokka," Hakoda nodded at his son. "At least they appear to be very skilled."

Zuko and Toph had joined their little group by now, passing time in some idle conversation, when a tall, broad shouldered youth stopped by. "Hi, Katara," he said, smiling at the young waterbender.

"Oh... Haru!" Katara blinked, at first not recognizing their old friend because of his neatly trimmed moustache and a goatee. Somehow, it made him appear a few years older than he actually was. "It's so good to see you again!" she smiled broadly, approaching him for a warm if short embrace.

"Who's that?" Toph wondered.

"Toph, this is Haru," Katara quickly introduced them. "When we met him, his town was controlled by the Fire Nation, and he had to hide his earthbending."

"But Katara inspired me and my father to take back our village," Haru said, giving the young waterbender a fond stare. Zuko watched Katara's cheeks turn light pink at that, the firebender unable to fight off some slight annoyance at this dashing earthbender youth. He could sense quite clearly that there was a story between the two and it made the exiled prince's expression turn into a frown every time he turned to face Haru.

"You helped us find our courage, Katara," Tyro, Haru's father, came to join them, putting his arms around Katara and Haru's shoulders. "And now we're here to help you."

Toph was no longer interested in learning more about the story behind this particular touching reunion, not when her feet sensed the approach of someone very familiar. "No way!" Toph exclaimed. "Is that?" her question remained unfinished as she found herself lifted high up in the air by a pair of strong arms belonging to her former adversary.

"Hippo happy to see the Blind Bandit again!" the giant man declared, crushing the yelping girl against his massive chest.

"You want a rematch? Because I'm happy to give you one any time of day!" Toph threatened.

"Negatory!" the smaller man, smaller at least when compared to the Hippo, exclaimed. "Hippo and the Boulder no longer fight for the entertainment of others! Now we fight for our Kingdom!"

A wicked grin spread across Toph's face. "Sweet!" was all she had to say as the Hippo gently lowered her down onto the dock.

Meanwhile, Sokka had spotted another group disembarking from one of the Water Tribe ships, Teo and his inventor father, together with Pipsqueak and the Duke. For some reason, they were all covered from head to toes in brown and oily looking substance. "What happened?" Sokka asked as he ran up to the group.

"Slight mishap with one of my inventions," Teo's father replied. "The incendiary capabilities of peanut sauce are simply not up to snuff, I'm afraid."

"But at least it's delicious!" Pipsqueak and the Duke both exclaimed as one, starting to lick themselves queen. Momo jumped from Sokka's shoulder and eagerly began to help out, the lemur unable to resist the smell of peanut sauce.

"Well, I just hope that there were no mishaps with the plans I sent you," Sokka spoke nervously.

"I have completed work on every one of your designs, young man," the old inventor replied proudly. "And let me just say that the Fire Nation forces are in for quite a surprise!"

"Excellent!" Sokka rubbed his hands, looking excited. "In that case, I'll tell my father that we're ready to proceed. It's time to bring everyone up to speed with our plan!" he ran off to find Hakoda once again.

A good half an hour later, the entire invasion force had gathered and squeezed into the clearing that had previously served as the group's campsite. Zuko tried to make a rough estimate of their numbers, but could not place the headcount above three hundred men, a laughably pitiful amount when compared to the might of the Fire Nation military. To stand any chance of success, they needed the element of surprise, a healthy dose of luck, and every one of these men needed to be worth at least a dozen of their Fire Nation counterparts. At least Zuko knew that Katara and Toph were both easily worth hundreds, and that gave him a measure of hope.

Sokka stood at the edge of the clearing together with his father, holding a bunch of scrolls in his arms, his carefully devised plans. He looked at the gathered force, waiting patiently to be addressed, and gulped nervously, looking like he was about to start hyperventilating. "I'm not sure I can do this, dad," he admitted nervously, trying to keep his voice from trembling.

"You'll do great, Sokka," Hakoda smiled at him encouragingly.

"Thanks, dad, but..." Sokka let out a deep sigh. "Much as I'd like to do this, I... I think it's better if you take over. This invasion is too important for me to try and cover myself in glory. These men need to hear from someone they already admire and respect, and that's not me... not yet. Only you can inspire them for what's to come, dad," Sokka looked pleadingly at his father.

"If you're certain, son," Hakoda said, putting his hand on Sokka's shoulder. The boy nodded firmly at his father. "Very well. I respect your honesty, Sokka. You will make a great leader for our tribe, one day. And that day is closer than you think, son."

"Thanks, dad," Sokka sniffed as the two men shared another brief embrace, Hakoda then taking Sokka's papers and moving to stand on a small platform that Toph had raised in front of the gathered force.

"You all know the broad outline of our plan," Hakoda began to speak in a loud and clear voice that oozed charisma and inspiration. "But let me just clarify a few points for everyone. Today is the Day of the Black Sun. And I want to thank you all for your self-sacrifice and your courage. There are two steps to the invasion, a naval stage and a land stage. To gain sea access to the Fire Nation capital, we have to get past our first major obstacle here," Hakoda pointed at a Fire Nation map, nailed to a wooden board nearby. "The Great Gates of Azulon."

"Next we hit the land, and we hit it hard," Hakoda continued, turning the map over to a different one showing the Fire Nation capital and it's two distinct and separated parts, the First Lord's Harbor and the Royal Caldera City, located higher up the mountain, in the crater of an inactive volcano. "We must fight past their battlements and secure the Plaza Tower. After we do that, it's up all the way towards the Royal Palace. At that point, the eclipse will begin."

"Excuse me," it was the Boulder of all people who raised a questioning hand, interrupting Hakoda's speech. "The Boulder is confused. Isn't the point to invade during the eclipse when the firebenders are powerless?" he asked.

"Hey, what do you know, that rocks for brains is a lot smarter than I gave him credit for," Toph laughed, standing a little to the side with Zuko and Katara.

"The eclipse only lasts eight minutes," Hakoda explained. "Not enough time for the whole invasion. And we expect that the Royal Palace will have the heaviest concentration of firebenders. That's where we'll need the advantage of the eclipse the most."

"That's correct," Zuko whispered to Katara. "I'm impressed Sokka guessed that without me providing any details."

"When this is finished, we will have defeated the Fire Lord," Hakoda continued, sounding confident, although how confident about their chances he truly was, remained anyone's guess. "We will have control over the Fire Nation capital and this war..." he made a dramatic pause, then punching the air with a clenched gauntleted fist. "Will be over!"

Loud cheers erupted at the conclusion of Chieftain Hakoda's speech. It had done its moral boosting trick perfectly. There was a definite pep to the people's steps as they walked around the makeshift war camp, completing their final preparations. Everyone was smiling and appearing uplifted, an unshakable sense of impending victory lingering in the air.

"You four should follow me aboard the Fire Nation cruiser," Hakoda told the small group, approaching them after the conclusion of his speech. "I have something for you. I figured that you'll want to change out of your Fire Nation clothes."

"Well..." Zuko began uncertainly.

"Perhaps not you, Zuko," Hakoda laughed.

"Actually, that might not be a bad idea," Zuko quickly reconsidered. "I wouldn't want to be mistaken for a Fire Nation soldier in the melee. That's a mistake that could easily happen."

"We definitely don't want that to happen," Katara gave him a worried stare. "Dad, surely we have something suitable for Zuko to wear?"

"Well, if he doesn't mind wearing Water Tribe armor?" Hakoda asked, looking at Zuko.

"That should be... interesting," Zuko mused, his lips forming a sarcastic smile. "Hmm, my father would consider it particularly insulting if I faced him wearing the garb of the Water Tribes. Yes, let's do that..."

"Good, we'll set both you and Sokka with proper Water Tribe armor," Hakoda smiled approvingly. "And Sokka, I managed to secure the set of armor you requested for your sky bison. Once you're done changing, come find me and I'll help you put it on Appa."

"I'll better be there for that as well," Katara decided. "We don't know how Appa will take to that. I should be able to calm him in case he becomes anxious," she said, together with Toph disappearing into one of the cabins in the hold to change their outfits.

Once they all emerged back onto the deck, Zuko and Sokka looked almost like Water Tribe siblings, wearing the traditional tribesmen armor, steel capped boots and gauntlets, blue fabric worn over the leather armor underneath, the ensemble topped off by wolf's head shaped helmets. Katara's garb was similar, but lighter, she also wore protective boots and gauntlets, her waterbender's tunic over a leather padding underneath, several flasks full of water at her hips. Toph had merely changed into her regular Earth Kingdom clothes, claiming that a girl who could cover herself in a rock armor, didn't need to wear anything extra protective.

"Looking good in that armor, Zuko," Katara grinned at the exiled prince.

"You're looking good yourself," Zuko laughed back at her. "I mean, I like how you look in the Fire Nation clothes, but that's not really you, right? But this... this is you."

"Ha, well, aren't you sweet?" Katara winked at him. Hakoda observed their little exchange with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't forget that we still have to take care of your sky bison," Hakoda reminded them all. "Once we're done, the fleet should be ready to depart. And there really is no time to waste any more."

Roughly half an hour later, the group returned to the stolen Fire Nation cruiser while flying on the back of a fully armored sky bison, protective plates of dull red metal guarding Appa. Coaxing the great beast to accept the armor hadn't been an easy task, especially with Aang no longer with them, but eventually they had succeeded and Appa was now well and truly ready for battle with the rest of them.

Finally, with all the preparations complete, the small invasion fleet was on its way, towards the Great Gates of Azulon. It didn't take long until Zuko was able to spot the familiar grand statues of dragons, rising from the sea. "There they are," he said, pointing in the distance.

"Don't look much like gates to me," Bato remarked, squinting in the distance.

"Well, if they work like Zuko here has described to us, then they are a formidable barrier indeed," Hakoda remarked. "Sokka, you're alright with us not bothering with creating the fog like your first draft called for?"

"Absolutely," Sokka nodded confidently. "The revised plan makes a lot more sense."

"But it makes this a one way trip," Bato frowned.

"Not necessarily, we can always use our new toys to escape if things turn particularly dire. But... it was always likely going to be a one way trip anyway, old friend," Hakoda slapped his trusted lieutenant's shoulder.

"We've been spotted," Zuko exclaimed, watching plumes of smoke starting to emanate from the nostrils of the dragon statues. Slowly, a giant net of chains began to rise from the bottom of the sea, igniting with fire, forming an impassable barrier of fierce flames.

"Right, I take back what I said," Bato gulped. "That's truly worthy of the name Great Gates of Azulon."

"Time to head below decks!" Hakoda cried out, the captains on the smaller Water Tribe ships repeating his command. Almost in an instant, the decks of all the ships had cleared from all life. "And now we hope that your invention works as intended, Sokka," Hakoda whispered to his son as they followed the others inside the hold.

A few minutes later, the Fire Nation soldiers in charge of the guard post at the Great Gates of Azulon witnessed the most befuddling sight. Four Water Tribe ships together with a stolen Fire Nation cruiser sailed straight up to the raised chain net of flames blocking their passage, and stupidly attempted to force their way through. In very short order, intense flames were ravaging all five ships, and within minutes, their smoldering remains were sinking fast to rest at the bottom of the sea. Up in the guard post, the disbelieving shift officer sat down at his desk to write a quick note for the messenger hawk, describing the complete annihilation of the incompetent invasion fleet, mocking the incomprehensible stupidity of the invaders and praising the wisdom and glory of the Fire Lord.

Meanwhile, a group of five large and sleek submarines, passed safely under the net of burning chains, accompanied by an armored sky bison ridden by a beautiful young waterbender, air bubbles surrounding their heads and allowing them to breathe easily, as the invading force headed straight towards the First Lord's Harbor.


	15. The Harbor Landing

"You've really outdone yourself this time, son," Chieftain Hakoda slapped Sokka's shoulder as they stood in the hold of one of the submarine's, watching Teo's father piloting it towards the First Lord's Harbor.

"Yeah, congratulations Sokka," Toph groaned, kneeling in the corner and looking absolutely sick. "You've managed to invent a worse way to travel than flying."

"Helmet?" the Duke helpfully offered, taking it off his head and passing it over to the suffering girl. Toph wordlessly accepted it and then promptly threw up inside the helmet.

"It is a very impressive piece of machinery," Zuko remarked, also feeling impressed. His gaze was constantly drawn towards the portholes of their vessel, nervously trying to spot the swimming sky bison and its lone rider outside.

"Well, I just came up with the idea," Sokka blushed from all the praise. "The Mechanist did all the work," he pointed at Teo's father.

"Don't sell yourself short, my boy!" the old inventor shook his head. "It was your idea to use waterbending to make the subs sink and float. Brilliant! Although your initial designs were a bit difficult to decipher," he added, retrieving a drawing and presenting it to the others. From the first glance, it seemed that even Toph would have done a better job at creating a less incomprehensive drawing, and she was blind.

"Unfortunately, there is one problem that I couldn't fix," Teo's father remarked sadly. "The submarines have a limited air supply. Before we reach the harbor, we'll need to resurface."

"Then I suggest that we do that soon," Zuko spoke up. "We don't want to emerge too close to the harbor. The Fire Nation lookouts might be able to spot us."

"Zuko is right," Hakoda nodded with certainty. "Start taking us to the surface."

A few minutes later, all five submarines hit the surface of the water, people emerging from the cramped holds, relieved to enjoy a few breaths of the refreshing sea air before returning back to the hold. Zuko, Toph and Sokka followed the example of the others, immediately starting to look around for Katara and Appa, letting out relieved breaths upon spotting Appa heading straight for them. At first, it looked as if Katara was seriously contemplating landing Appa on top of the submarine, but then she quickly reconsidered, realizing that it might very well make the submarine topple over. With that in mind, she kept Appa hovering just above the water level, quickly bending a little bridge of ice and crossing over to find herself surrounded by her friends.

"Everyone, listen up!" Hakoda spoke up, addressing those who had emerged from the holds. "The next time we reach the surface, it'll be in the harbor. I want everyone to stay alert and fight smart. Now, break time is over! Back into the subs!"

"Be careful and stay safe, sis," Sokka told Katara, as they joined for a quick group hug.

"Same to all of you," Katara smiled at the others. "I'll see you once we hit the harbor." Sokka and Toph turned to leave, Zuko lingering a step or two behind. Having noticed that her father had entered the submarine, Katara quickly ran up to Zuko and grabbed him by the hand, forcing him to turn around. He did so, and she quickly raised herself on her tiptoes to surprise him with a firm kiss on the lips. Some of the Water Tribe warriors who hadn't returned to their subs yet, took notice and began to cheer and holler at them, making the pair blush. Katara gave Zuko a shy smile and then quickly made her way back to Appa. She created a large air bubble for them both and then disappeared under the water yet again, leaving Zuko to return to the submarine's hold with a ridiculously broad grin plastered across his face.

It didn't take too long for the sea walls of the First Lord's Harbor to appear in the periscopes of the invading subs. Hakoda turned around to give his orders for the troops waiting impatiently in the hold. "Earthbenders, into your tanks!" he shouted. "This is going to be a rough ride!" Toph, together with the other earthbenders on Hakoda's submarine, immediately rushed to enter the new earthbending powered tanks, large vehicles reminiscent of heavily armored caterpillars, latest creation of Teo's father with the help of Sokka's inspiring designs. There were five large earthbending tanks altogether, each submarine carrying one, and they took up about half of the available space in the bowels of each of the subs.

The invasion force was spotted only when they were already upon the sea wall. Immediately, the defenders in the sea wall towers opened fire, launching harpoon guns, shooting heavy missiles attached to sturdy chains. Most of the submarines managed to evade the harpoons, save for one, the harpoon scoring a direct hit and breaching the hull. The Foggy Swamp waterbenders inside the sub managed to seal the breach with layers of ice, but the submarine was still caught in the heavy chain attached to the harpoon, now starting to get pulled out of the water, helpless to resist. Fortunately, Katara had a good view of the battlefield. Even as she was dodging the harpoons on Appa's back, it didn't stop her from taking stock of the situation, emerging from the water and then using her waterbending to sever the chain with a powerful lance of ice. The freed submarine toppled back into the water, capable to resume its journey.

"Ready the torpedoes!" Hakoda ordered as they drew ever closer to the sea wall. The submarine crew quickly loaded the torpedoes and on the Chieftain's command, the waterbenders launched them, targeting the obvious weak spots in the wall, the metal grating underneath the water level. Several massive holes were instantly torn in the wall, and the submarines continued unimpeded on their path towards the landing spot.

The submarines emerged from the water only some ten yards from the shore, but they immediately came under heavy fire from the battlements of the Royal Plaza and the First Lord's Harbor. The fiery missiles scored several direct hits against the submarines, but fortunately, their armor withheld the blasts. Still under heavy fire, the front section of the submarines opened, allowing the heavy earthbending tanks to emerge, starting to slowly move towards the plaza. Eight supply trucks followed, together with groups of warriors and benders, keeping a tight formation and trying to use the earthbending tanks as mobile shielding platforms.

Attacks from the solidly built towers surrounding the plaza intensified the further the invasion force advanced. The earthbending tanks were able to shrug off the exploding missiles, but the more vulnerable supply trucks were not as heavily armored and one of them was blasted to smithereens by a direct hit. Another missile struck a group of Water Tribe warriors who had failed to take cover behind a tank, leaving several men bloody and burned, rolling on the ground in pain and too badly injured to continue.

The supply trucks dropped large pieces of rock in their path as they moved forward, and some of the earthbenders jumped out of their tanks to use them as missiles, launching them at the well protected battlements on the walls. Toph was one of these earthbenders, working hard to reduce one of the closest towers to rubble, but despite her considerable skill it was still slow going.

Zuko kept close to Hakoda and Sokka in the middle of the column, time and again glancing at the skies for any sign of Appa and Katara. He was relieved to see them finally landing just a little behind the procession of the earthbending tanks, in relative safety, Katara dismounting with her lips knit in a thin line of grim determination. It seemed as if they would soon be in a fight for their lives, as the heavy metal gate on the opposite side of the plaza parted and a squadron of Fire Nation's tundra tanks emerged, quickly heading to intercept them, attacking with blazing jets of fire.

"They're trying to encircle us!" Zuko warned as more and more Fire Nation tanks entered the plaza, trying to outflank them. The tundra tanks stood no chance in direct confrontation with the brand new earthbending war machines of the invaders, and the Fire Nation commanders were not idiots, realizing this fact very quickly. Instead of throwing all of their tanks against the invaders head on, they tried to use the flanks to reach the more vulnerable infantry and supply trucks.

"I see that, but we have one more ace up our sleeve," Hakoda nodded, pointing behind them where the waterbenders were now exiting the submarines, starting to attack the flanking tundra tanks. With Katara joining to help them, an entire squadron of Fire Nation tanks was left ruined, the vehicles either frozen, impaled by giant spikes of ice, or simply washed away into the sea. One of the Foggy Swamp waterbenders had gathered massive chunks of vegetation from the sea bed, turning himself into some kind of a giant seaweed monster, wreaking havoc among the Fire Nation lines, smashing their tanks with his huge seaweed fists.

While the battle seemed to be going well, seemingly endless Fire Nation reinforcements continued to pour into the plaza, tundra tanks now accompanied by regiments of komodo rhino cavalry and elite infantry. The Fire Nation soldiers also used their tanks as shields to get closer to the frontlines and then engaged the Water Tribe warriors in a closely contested melee. Sokka, Zuko and Hakoda were all forced to draw their swords and defend themselves, fighting off a group of komodo rhino riders that had managed to penetrate their line. After a brief and brutal skirmish, the enemy was finally driven back when Zuko unleashed a powerful jet of fire that seared at least four of the attackers, taking them completely by surprise as they clearly had not expected such an attack from someone wearing the Water Tribe armor.

With relentless Fire Nation counterattacking, their progress seemed to grind to a halt. Even when they made some marginal advance, it came with its own challenge, as the plaza towers were now behind them, and the warriors and benders lost their cover from the tanks. More and more supply trucks and warriors went down from the heavy missiles exploding in their midst. It quickly became very clear that unless they could move through the plaza at a much faster pace, these towers would slowly grind the whole invasion army into dust. Things became especially grim when one of the earthbending tanks was hit by four missiles at once, the force of impact powerful enough to flip the war machine onto its side and render it useless.

"Sokka, we have to take out those battlements!" Hakoda called out to his son, the leader of the invasion force savvy enough to recognize the grim reality of their situation. "It's our only chance!"

"We need Appa to get to them!" Sokka called back, busy fighting off a Fire Nation infantryman who was desperately trying to retreat.

"I'll get Katara!" Zuko shouted, dashing through the chaotic mess of humanity to catch up with Katara at the rear of the group, where she was making sure that their forces were protected from any more flanking maneuvers. "Katara, we need Appa!" Zuko cried at her, Katara nodding swiftly as she retrieved Aang's old whistle and called for their loyal sky bison. In short order, Katara together with Zuko, Sokka and Hakoda were on their way towards the battlements, dodging the flaming projectiles as the soldiers manning the towers recognized the danger they posed and began firing upon them.

Changing their angle of approach so that the soldiers in the tower wouldn't be able to fire on them, the group of four began to take out the battlements. While flying by one of the towers, Sokka struck out with his meteorite sword, crippling the projectile launcher, while Hakoda took care of the soldiers by tossing a pair of grenades into the tower. Katara froze the defenders and their launcher in the next tower into a large chunk of ice, taking them out of the battle. The soldiers of the third tower met their fate as Zuko's fire jets set them aflame together with their projectile launcher. The next two towers on the line of battlements were not as easy targets, however, as they were defended by firebenders, forcing Appa to withdraw and not allowing the sky bison to get any closer.

"Sokka, with me," Hakoda ordered as Appa landed in relative safety between the two defensive towers. "Katara, Zuko, take out the battlement ahead! Be careful, and watch each other's backs! Sokka and I are taking the other one!"

Katara and Zuko both nodded, swiftly running up to the imposing tower, but it's doors had no answer to Katara's waterbending, getting torn off their hinges. Zuko went straight for the launcher and set it on fire, while Katara froze the hapless defenders, including the firebender who didn't seem to have a clue as to how to counter a powerful waterbender like Katara.

The two benders quickly ran back towards Appa to see if Sokka and Hakoda needed any help. Hakoda's sure hand had thrown a pair of grenades into the tower, and the panicking soldiers were now running out together with the firebender assigned to their tower, getting cut down by the two expert swordsmen by the tower's exit. Hakoda and Sokka then proceeded inside to check for any stragglers, at which point, much to the horror of Katara and Zuko, a powerful explosion rocked the tower, throwing the two warriors back outside with considerable force.

"Sokka! Father!" Katara cried in desperation, bolting towards them. Much to her relief, Sokka rose from the ground quickly, looking none worse for wear. It seemed as if Hakoda had shielded him from the blast with his own body.

"What happened?" Zuko asked as together with Katara they reached the others.

"I don't know... the grenade must have hit their munitions stores or something..." Sokka exclaimed. He sounded frantic as he tried to turn his father over to take a better look at Hakoda's injuries, Zuko quickly coming to his aid. Hakoda's left side was all torn and bloody, a grizzly sight that made them all recoil in horror.

"Katara!" Sokka cried out.

"Yes, I'm here, let me work," she dropped on her knees and tried to fix her father's injuries to the best of her ability. Before their eyes, Hakoda' wounds began to close and the bleeding stopped. Soon enough, Katara's father came back to his senses, though he still looked groggy and weak. "Feeling any better, dad?" she asked nervously.

"A little better, yes... that was foolhardy of me," Hakoda winced. "We need to get back to the troops!" He tried to rise, but failed miserably, falling back onto the grass.

"Dad, you need more healing first!" Sokka exclaimed, looking expectantly at Katara.

"Sokka... it's going to take a lot of healing to get father back into fighting shape," Katara returned uncertainly. "Dad is hurt, but he is also out of danger..."

"What are you saying?" Sokka gasped at his sister. "You're not going to heal him? Are you crazy?"

"Sokka, listen to me..." Hakoda spoke up to his son. "Your sister is not wrong. The invasion has fallen behind the schedule. To get me back down there and leading will take too much time and the mission will fail. You'll have to take my place and lead the troops, Sokka."

"Only if Katara promises to stay here and keep healing you!" Sokka exclaimed reluctantly.

"What?" Katara gave her brother an incredulous stare. "You need me down there, Sokka! And you'll need me against the Fire Lord!"

"Listen to her, Sokka," Hakoda nodded, though he seemed slightly taken aback by Katara's firm insistence not to remain behind with him. "Just leave me here, I'll be safe. Children, I hoped that it would not come to pass just yet, but it's time for you to take over and lead. Please, you have to do it. For me. For the Tribes. For all of those still fighting against the tyranny of the Fire Nation."

"I... alright, dad... fine, I'll do as you ask," Sokka frowned. He turned away to look down at the frantic fighting in the plaza, then glancing at the battlements on the other side. "We'll need to take out those towers as well, that's going to take even more time!"

"Maybe not, Sokka," Zuko suggested. "What if we rearranged our lines so that the tanks shield us from the front and the left? If the troops move over to the right, there, they'll be protected."

"That makes sense, Zuko," Sokka nodded gratefully at the other boy. "Hmm, being able to look at the battlefield from above like this can be really helpful."

Meanwhile, Katara had called Appa over and was already atop of the sky bison. "What are you waiting for?" she called out for Zuko and Sokka to mount Appa as well. "Dad, just hold on, we'll be coming back for you soon!" Katara told her father.

"Make me proud, kids!" Hakoda called out to them. "I know you will!"

"I still think you should have stayed with dad, Katara," Sokka stated stubbornly as Appa was bringing them back to the chaotic fighting in the plaza. "If something happens to father while we're gone, I'll never forgive you."

"Fine," Katara shrugged, equally stubbornly. "Do what you must, Sokka."

Appa landed in the middle of the fiercest fighting, tossing away a Fire Nation tank and then flattening a komodo rhino rider with the swipe of his tail. Sokka stood up tall and proud on the back of the sky bison, spotting Bato nearby, trying to restore some order to their depleted ranks. "Bato, Hakoda is injured! I'm taking over for my father!" Sokka shouted at his fellow warrior, Bato responding with a nod. Sokka then began to shout orders to the troops. "Listen up, everyone! Tanks in a crescent formation on our right! Warriors and benders on the left! We're taking that tower!" he pointed at the large structure at the far end of the plaza. "From then on, it's straight towards the Royal Palace!"

Much to Sokka's own surprise, the troops roared back with renewed vim and vigor, quickly regrouping. Another earthbending tank had been lost while Sokka and the others were taking out the towers, but the three remaining tanks provided decent enough protection, especially with the supply trucks in the middle, an additional layer of protection for the infantry. Once Sokka was satisfied with the order of their ranks, he let loose a mighty bellow from his lips. "Charge!" the boy shouted, ordering the invasion force forward, leading from the front on Appa's back, Zuko and Katara at his side, clearing out their path with the might of their combined bending.

With cohesion restored to their lines and the Fire Nation defenders in disarray from their unexpected recovery, the rallying invasion force under Sokka's command quickly reached the end of the plaza. An imposing tower loomed above them, last line of defense for the defenders of the harbor, swarming with Fire Nation soldiers and firebenders. Toph immediately got to work on making the tower's walls crumble, aided by the Hippo and Boulder, as well as Haru and his people. It didn't take long for the integrity of the structure to become compromised and it collapsed in on itself, burying dozens and dozens of the defenders alive in the rubble. While this removed the final bit of resistance they had to overcome, the earthbenders now also needed extra time to clear the path from the resulting rubble, a delay that ate more and more of their precious time.

"Great job, Sokka!" Bato shouted, running up to stand next to Appa. "We're on our way to victory!"

"I hope so, Bato," Sokka replied, though he looked deeply concerned as he withdrew a small gadget from one of his pockets. "The Mechanist gave me this timing device. It looks like we have only ten minutes before the full eclipse," he said, glancing up at the sky. A small part of the sun's disc was already engulfed by the moon's shadow, steadily growing larger.

"Sokka, we should have been halfway up that mountain by now!" Bato exclaimed in grim realization. "We're never going to reach the Royal Palace in time!" he appeared frustrated as he looked at the earthbenders, clearing the rubble as fast as they could.

"They fought a smart delaying action," Zuko nodded in agreement. "We need to change our plan if we want to stand a chance at success."

"I agree, but what can we do?" Sokka wondered. "Zuko, you told me that it takes about twenty minutes to get up to the Royal Palace from here. By that time the eclipse will be over!"

"Sokka, you need to take your friends and your bison, and fly there ahead of us!" Bato shouted at him. "I'll take charge of the rest of our forces!"

"But the firebenders at the Royal Palace will eat us alive!" Sokka shouted back, but then he appeared to think of something. "Hmm... unless we arrive there exactly at the time of the eclipse... the timing is going to be tricky, but it should be doable."

"We need to do that," Zuko said firmly. He then jumped off the sky bison and ran towards where the earthbenders worked. "I'm getting Toph! We'll need her!"

"Hey, what's the big idea!" Toph was protesting vigorously when Zuko all but dragged her back to the others and forcefully pushed her on top of their bison.

"We're going after the Fire Lord, Toph, and we need you with us," Katara explained quickly.

"Sweet!" Toph exclaimed, looking excited. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

"The eclipse, actually," Sokka replied. "Then again, I guess we could be on our way early... maybe scout things out from a distance."

"That's a good idea, Sokka," Bato nodded approvingly at him. "Good luck, all of you! I know you can do this! And be assured, we'll do our part in the meantime!"

"Thank you, Bato," Katara smiled at her father's right hand man. "We know we're leaving the invasion force in good hands. Appa, yip-yip!" she called out and the sky bison immediately took off, taking to the skies in the direction of the inactive volcano, housing the Royal Caldera City.

Their approach was slow and hesitant as they skirted the edge of the volcano, trying to spot some signs of activity down in the city. Oddly enough, everything appeared quiet... almost unnaturally quiet. "How much time to the eclipse, Sokka?" Katara asked nervously.

Sokka glanced at his gadget once more. "Five minutes."

"That's not a lot," Katara frowned. She kept looking down at the city and its empty streets and plazas. "Do you see anyone? Where are all the people?"

"The city has been evacuated," Zuko suddenly realized. "And that can only mean one thing... they knew we were coming!"

"But... but how?" Katara gasped. "I don't think anyone would have snitched!"

"I think I know..." Sokka let out a sigh. "All those Earth Kingdom generals knew of the plan... which means that the Dai Li would have known as well. And then Azula took over the Dai Li."

"Of course... Azula must have learned of the plan," Zuko nodded in agreement. "That's just how she operates. She's awfully good at learning other people's secrets..."

"So, is that it then?" Toph asked, sounding disappointed. "The Fire Lord has fled like a coward, sitting the eclipse out somewhere in safety?"

"I'm not sure, Toph... that does not sound like my father at all," Zuko shook his head. "No, I think we should still check the bunkers built under the palace complex. He might be hiding in there until the eclipse is over."

"What do we lose by checking it out?" Sokka shrugged, taking another look at his timing contraption. "Three minutes to the eclipse. Katara, take us in."

"Alright, taking us in," Katara nodded, tugging on Appa's reins. "Royal Palace, here we come."


End file.
